ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HANDICAP AS A TACTIC IN SOCIAL-INTERACTION

Nonhandicapped people often report discomfort and uncertainty when interacting with handicapped individuals. Three studies, using a total of 160 nonhandicapped undergraduates, investigated a possible tactic that handicapped people could use to reduce a fellow interactant's discomfort and uncertainty. Ss watched 2 videotapes of handicapped individuals being interviewed. Ss then chose the handicapped person with whom they would prefer to work on a cooperative task. Results of all 3 studies support the hypothesis that a handicapped person who acknowledges the handicap will be preferred to a handicapped person who does not. In Study 1, Ss significantly preferred a handicapped person who acknowledged the handicap to a handicapped person who did not disclose anything personal. In Study 2, Ss significantly preferred an acknowledging person over one who made a personal disclosure other than about the handicap. In Study 3, Ss preferred the individual acknowledging a handicap over one who disclosed something else personal even when the acknowledging individual was clearly nervous about doing so. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.