The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Interracial Contact on Campus

Abstract

It is not well understood why, on diverse college campuses, some students are more likely than others to engage in interracial contact. While research has begun to examine the role of individual differences like personality traits, results have thus far been mixed. This article asks if this might be the result of confounding different forms of interracial contact. Using a sample of nearly 500 university students and drawing on distinctions made in research on diversity in higher education, models examining the relationships between the five-factor model (FFM) of personality traits and four types of interracial contact are presented: positive and negative cross-racial interactions (CRIs), and two ways of estimating interracial friendships (IRFs)—self-reported composition of close friends as well as the count of ego-network connections. Results show that having an Agreeable personality is associated with perceiving more positive and fewer negative CRIs, while no personality traits are associated with IRFs.

Conceptions and the experience of friendship in underrepresented groups

“…In the realm of college student friendships, Locks et al (2008) found that White and students of color who had positive interactions with diverse peers reported a greater sense of belonging to college or university. Other research conducted with college students has shown that interacting with racially diverse peers is associated with a wide range of positive outcomes, including improvements in academic performance, cognitive skills, cultural understanding, ease in interacting with members of other racial groups, and reduced perceived social distance between racial groups (Diehl, 2020). Antonio (2001) found that inter‐racial interactions between university students were associated with leadership ability and cultural awareness.…”

Self-Disclosure on Social Media: Do Personality Traits Matter?

“…For example, Miserandino (2012) highlighted that traits are just facets of human personality that may only capture surface insights about human likes. Furthermore, human behaviors are not only affected by the traits of individuals, but also other personality factors (Diehl, 2020). In recent years, many studies have examined personality traits to predict the variation in attitude toward social networks (e.g., Liu et al [2022]; Punj [2017]).…”