PERSONALITY, ATTENTIONAL FOCUS, AND NOVELTY EFFECTS - REACTIONS TO PEERS WITH DISABILITIES

Tested the hypothesis that common reactions to people with disabilitie s are partly due to the attentional consequences of novelty and explor ed the impact of personality on nondisabled individuals' reactions. th ree hundred and fifty one college students completed personality measu res (social anxiety, shyness, public self-consciousness, self-monitori ng) and indicated their feelings, self and other-focused thoughts, and behavioral intentions concerning a hypothetical encounter with an ''a verage'' student or with 2 types of novel peers: student with a disabi lity and an all-round outstanding individual. Implications of the find ings, which indicate that (1) novelty provides a partial explanation o f interaction problems between nondisabled and disabled peers and (2) personality factors have a different impact on thoughts and feelings a bout encounters with peers who are novel than on those who are not, ar e discussed.