Close relationships between Asian American and European American college students

The authors examined attitudes and behaviors regarding close relationships between European and Asian Americans. with a particular emphasis on 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans (Chinese. Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese. and F ilipino Americans). participants were 218 Asian American college students a nd 171 European American college students attending a culturally diverse un iversity. The European Americans did not differentiate among the various su bgroups of Asian Americans. Their attitudes regarding close relationships w ere less positive toward Asian Americans than toward Mexican and African Am ericans, a finding contrary to the prediction of social exchange theory (H. Tajfel, 1975). In contrast to the European Americans' view of homogeneity among Asian Americans, the 5 major subgroups of Asian Americans expressed a distinctive hierarchy of social preference among themselves. Results are d iscussed in terms of their implications for future research on interethnic relations involving Asian Americans.