CORNELIUS RIORDAN
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island 02918
criordan@providence.edu
P.O. Box 95
Cummaquid, MA 02637
EDUCATION:
Cell Phone: (508) 353-3440
School Phone: (401) 865-2788
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 1979-1981
Department of Sociology
The Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland
Ph.D. in Sociology, 1975
Syracuse University
Syracuse, New York
M.A. in Sociology, 1970
Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts
B.S. in Education, 1962
State College at Fitchburg
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
PROFESSIONAL
HONORS/AWARDS
2004-06 Elected Treasurer, Sociology of Education SIG, American
Education Research Association.
1990-92 Elected Council Member, Sociology of Education
Section of the American Sociological Association.
1983 Sloan Foundation Fellowship for study at Harvard University. Program
Title: Use of Computers for Introductory Sociology
1979-1981 National Institute of Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship for
study at Johns Hopkins University. Program
Title: Sociology of Human Development
1979 Postdoctoral Fellowship awarded by Stanford University.
Program Title: Interpersonal Evaluation Processes
1979 Recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities Summer
Fellowship at Brown University. Project Title: The Black American
Experience: Insiders and Outsiders
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Cornelius Riordan
PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATIONS
American Sociological Association
American Educational Research Association
Society for International Education,
Training and Research
PRESENT POSITION
Professor of Sociology
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Teaching Responsibilities and Research Interests:
Research Methods, Sociology of Education, Introductory Sociology,
Computer Applications in Sociology, Statistics, Race and Ethnic Relations.
2006 to present – Member, Committee on Academic Rank and Tenure
1998 to 2000 - Chairperson, Department of Sociology
l985 to l993 - Director, Southeast Asian Scholarship Program
1984 to 1986 - Chairperson, Department of Sociology
1985 to 1986 – Member, Martin Luther King Minority Scholarship Committee
1982 to 1984 – Member, Institutional Review Board
1982 to 1983 – Member, Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Basic Skills
1978 to 1979 – Member, Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Standards and
Ethics in Research
1977 to 1979 - Elected Member of the Faculty Senate
1977 to 1979 – Member, Student Bill of Rights Committee
1974 to 1975 - Chairperson, Department of Sociology
1973 - 1979 and 1982 to 1984 – Member, Academic Computer Users Facilities
Committee
BOOKS:
Equality and Achievement: An Introduction to the Sociology of Education (2E). 2004 Upper Saddle
River, NJ. Prentice Hall.
Introductory Sociology Workbook. Second Edition. 1997. New York: Addison Wesley Longman,
(with Allan Mazur and Ruth Tucker Bogart).
Girls and Boys in School: Together or Separate. 1990. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia
University, 1990.
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JOURNAL AND BOOK ARTICLES:
Single Sex Schools. 2006. In George Ritzer (ed.) The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology.
NewYork: Blackwell Publishing. www.sociologyencyclopedia.com
Failing in School? Yes; Victims of War? No. Sociology of Education, 76(2003): 369-372.
Review of the Handbook of the Sociology of Education. Contemporary Sociology, 31(2002): 1-7,
(with Amanda Datnow).
What Do We Know About the Effects of Single-Sex Schools in the Private Sectors: What are the
Implications for Public Schools. 2002. In Amanda Datnow and Lea Hubbard (eds.) Doing Gender in
Policy and Practice: Perspectives on Single-Sex and Coeducational Schooling. New York: Routledge
Falmer Press.
Trends in Student Demography in Catholic Secondary Schools. 2002. In James Youniss and John J.
Coney (eds.) Catholic Schools at the Crossroads. New York: Teachers College Press.
The Silent Gender Gap. (November17, 1999): Education Week, 46, 49.
It’s Not About the Failure of Catholic Schools: It’s About Demographic Transformations.” (February
1999): Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 462, 478 (with David Baker).
The Eliting of the Common American Catholic School and the National Educational Crisis.
(September 1998): Phi Delta Kappan, 80, 16-23 (with David Baker).
Building Social Capital in Non-Governmental Organizations: Buffalo Banks and Borewells. (1998):
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. 18, 55-69 (with Jaya Sarkar).
Catholic Education: For Those Who Can Afford It or For Those Who Need It? (October 1997)
National Catholic Reporter, (with Joseph Harris).
Minority Success and Single-Gender Schools. in Gregg Lee Carter (ed.) Perspectives on Current
Social Problems 1997. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
The Effects of Sex-Grouped Schooling on Achievement: The Role of National Context. (1995):
Comparative Education Review 39, 468-482. (with D. Baker and M. Schaub).
Reconsidering Single-Gender Schools: The V.M.I. Case and Beyond. (February 23, 1994): Education
Week, 48.
Single-Gender Schools: Outcomes for African and Hispanic Americans. (1994): in Aaron M. Pallas
(ed.) Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization. 10. 177-206.
The Value of Attending a Women's College: Educational, Occupational, and Income Benefits. (1994).
The Journal of Higher Education 65: 486-510.
Sex Groupings and Improving Mathematics Achievement: Lessons from a Comparative Analysis.
1994. In In Search of More Effective Mathematics Education, 1994, Ian Westbury et al. (eds.) New
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York.
JOURNAL & BOOK ARTICLES continued:
Ablex Publishers, 207-225 (with D. Baker and M. Schaub).
The Case for Single-Sex Schooling. 1993. In Single-Sex Schooling: Perspectives From Practice and
Research, Vol. II. Washington, D.C. Report form the Office of Educational Research and
Improvements. U.S. Department of Education.
Single-and Mixed-Sex Colleges for Women: Educational and Occupational Attainment and Other
Outcomes. (1992). Review of Higher Education. 15: 327-347.
Resolved: Many Students, Especially Women, Are Best Served by Single-Sex Schools and Colleges.
(1990). Debates on Educational Issues, 2, 1-8.
Intergroup Contact in Small Cities. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 11 (1987): 143154.
Public and Catholic Schooling: The Effects of Gender Context Policy. (1985). American Journal of
Education 93: 518-540.
Sex as a General Status Characteristic. Social Psychology Quarterly 46 (1983): 261-267.
Social Background, Academic Resources, and College Graduation: Recent Evidence from the National
Longitudinal Survey. (1982). American Journal of Education 90: 315-33 (with K. L. Alexander, J.
Fennessey, and A. M. Pallas).
School Tracking and Student Frustration Reconsidered. (1981). Sociology of Education 54: 301-319
(with J. Fennessey and K. L. Alexander, and L. H. Salganik).
Producing Equal Status Interracial Interaction: A Replication. (1980). Social Psychology Quarterly 43:
131-136 (with J. A. Ruggiero).
Developing Tolerance: A Comparison of Contextual Versus Program Effects. (1979). International
Journal of Intercultural Relations 2: 309-327.
Equal Status Interracial Contact: A Review and Revision of the Concept. (1978). International Journal of
Intercultural Relations 2: 161-185.
INVITED LECTURES & PAPERS:
The Value of Single Sex Education: Twenty Five Years of High Quality Research. Paper presented by
invitation at the Third International Congress of the European Association for Single Sex
Education, Warsaw, Poland, October 8, 2011.
The Effects of Single Sex Schooling. Paper presented by invitation at the Second Latin American
Conference on Single Sex Education: A New Scenario for the Education of Boys and Girls. Buenos
Aires, Argentina, September 3, 2009.
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INVITED LECTURES & PAPERS:
The Impact of Single-Sex Public Schools: Fact or Fiction? Paper presented by invitation at the
National Conference on Single-Sex Public Schools, Philadelphia, PA., October 16, 2008.
The Potential and Future of Public Single-Sex Schools. Paper presented by invitation at an
Educational Policy Breakfast sponsored by the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and
Human Development, New York University, February 22, 2008.
A Review of Best Empirical Studies of Single-Sex Schooling and the Theoretical Rationale.
Paper presented by invitation to teachers, academic leaders, and representatives of regional
educational offices during a conference entitled: Perspectives of Single-Sex Schooling for Boys and
Girls, June 11-12, 2007 in Warsaw and Krakow, Poland.
The Effects of Single-Sex Schools: What Do We Know? Paper presented by invitation at the
Congress on Single Sex Schools, sponsored by the European Assocation for Single-Sex Eucation
(EASSE), April 21, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain.
The Gender Gap from Kindergarten to College. Paper presented at the Harold W. McGraw
Seminar for Reporters New to the K-12 Beat.” Hechinger Institute on Education and the
Teachers College, Columbia University, July 23, 2005.
Annual
Media.
The Future of Single Sex Schools. Paper presented by invitation of the Educational Policy Forum, Library
of Congress, October 8, 2004.
The Potential of Single-Sex Schools. Paper presented by invitation at a symposium held at the American
Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Washington, DC, 2002.
The Emergent Problems of Boys in Schools and the Potential of Single-Sex Schools. Paper presented
by invitation at the International Symposium on Male and Female Education in the Third Millennium,
Universidad Complutence de Madrid, Spain, September 28, 2001.
Some Thoughts on Teaching Sociology of Education. Paper presented by invitation at the annual meeting
of the Eastern Sociological Society, Boston, MA, 1999.
Achievement and Equity in Catholic and Public Schools: Gender Gap Comparisons 1972-1992. Paper
presented by invitation of the Institute for Educational Initiatives, University of Notre Dame, 1998.
Critique of Single Gender Schooling, Law, Policy and Research. Paper presented by invitation of the
Brookings Institution and presented at The Brookings Papers on Education Policy Conference,
Washington, DC., 1998.
The Future of Single Sex Schooling. Paper presented by invitation of Rhode Island Women for
Education, Salva Regina College, Newport, RI, 1998.
The Future of Single Gender Schools. Commissioned paper by the American Association of University
Women Educational Foundation, 1997.
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INVITED LECTURES & PAPERS:
Trends in Student Demography, Attitudes and Behavior in Catholic Schools 1972-1992.
Commissioned Paper by The Future of Catholic Schools Project. Washington, DC: The Catholic
University of America, 1997.
Some Thoughts on the Future of Boys’ Schools Annual Meeting of Boys’ Schools: An International
Coalition, Toronto, Canada, 1996.
Development Education Pays for Itself and More! 1995 Development Education Conference. U.S.
Agency for International Development, Baltimore, MD, October, 1995 (with J. Sarkar, K. Santilli, M.
Cubarrubia).
Single or Coeducational Schools: The Pros and Cons. Association of Independent Schools in New
England, October 1994.
Single-Gender or Coeducational Schooling: Which Works Best for Girls and Women? Friends of
Women's Studies Luncheon Series, Providence College, November 1993.
Single-Gender Educational Research. Boys' Schools Conference, The Hill School, Pottstown, PA. June
1993.
The Case for Single-Gender Schooling. Workshop sponsored by the United States Department of
Education, March 1992.
Cross Cultural Dynamics in Career Counseling. Rhode Island Career Services Meeting, December
1991.
Some Recurrent Problems of Interracial Contact. International Conference on the Absorption of New
Immigrants ("Olim"). Ministry of the Interior, State of Israel Jerusalem, November 1991.
INVITED LECTURES & PAPERS:
Using Quantitative Research Exercises in Introductory Sociology. National Science Foundation
Workshop Harvard University, June 1989.
Using CHIP Software and Student Exercises for Courses in Education and Sociology. School of Arts
and Sciences and Education Eastern Illinois University, November 1988.
Developing Student Exercises for Courses in Sociology. Sloan Foundation Demonstration Harvard
University, June 1988.
Using CHIP Software in Introductory Sociology, Social Problems and Family Courses. National
Science Foundation Workshop Harvard University, July 1988.
Software Packages for Sociology. Sloan Foundation Workshop, Syracuse University, May 1988.
Social Science and Science Fairs. Science Fair Award Night "St. Mary's Academy - Bay View,
February 1986.
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PROFESSIONAL PAPERS:
From High Risk to Above Average: The First Five Years at the Brighter Choice Charter School
For Boys and Girls. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational
Association, 2008 (with Irene Flores and Katherine Schiller).
Single Sex and Coeducational Schooling in Public Elementary Schools of Choice: A QuasiExperimental Study. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the American
Educational Research Association, 2005.
Using Instrumentation and Data Developed for Large National Surveys (ECLS-K) in Small
Scale Studies. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.
2003 (with Irene Flores).
Male and Female Early Achievement and Development: Gender Gaps Among First Time
Kindergarten Children in the Public Schools. Paper presented at the annuam meeting of the
American Educational Research Association, 2002.
What Do We Know About the Effects of Single Sex Schools in the Private Sector and What Are
the Implications for Public Schools. Paper read at the annual meeting of the American
Educational Research Association, 2001.
Student Experiences in Home and School: Gender Gap Comparisons Among 1998 Sophomores in the
National Longitudinal Survey. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological
Association, 2000.
Institutional Structures and Women’s College Experiences. Paper read at the annual meeting of the
American Educational Research Association, 2000.
Talking/Not Talking About Gender: Research on Single Sex Classrooms. A Critique of papers
presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, 1999.
Student Outcomes in Catholic and Public Secondary Schools: Gender Gap Comparisons from 1972 to
1992. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, 1998.
Deconstructing Patriarchy in Schools: Curriculum, Practice and Policy. A Critique of papers presented
at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, 1998.
Are Catholic Schools Becoming More Elitist? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American
Sociological Association, 1997.
Trends in Student Demography in Catholic Schools 1972-1992. Paper presented at the annual meeting
of the American Educational Research Association, 1997.
Women and Men Together: Single-Sex Versus Coeducation in Secondary and Postsecondary
Education. A Critique of papers presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational
Research Association, 1996.
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PROFESSIONAL PAPERS continued:
Patterns of Student Participation in Extracurricular Activities. A Critique of Papers presented at the
annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, 1996.
Together or Apart: Organization, Policy and Practice in Coeducational and Single-Sex Education. A
Critique of Papers presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association,
1996.
Building Social Capital Within Non-Governmental Organizations. Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the Comparative and International Education Society, 1996 (with Jaya Sarkar).
Building Social Capital in Non-Governmental Organizations. Association for Research on Nonprofit
Organizations and Voluntary Action, 1995 (with Jaya Sarkar).
The Value of Development Education for NGOs. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
American Sociological Association, 1995.
Women's Colleges in the 1980s: Educational Climate, Aspirations, and Attainment. Paper presented at
the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, 1995.
Donor Education Programs That Work. Workshop presentation at the annual meeting of InterAction
(American Council for Voluntary International Action), 1995 (with Jaya Sarkar).
What About the Boys? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Educational Records Bureau,
1994.
Educating Sponsors of Non-Governmental Organizations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
Society for Applied Sociology, 1994.
The Value of Attending a Women's College in the 1980s. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the
American Educational Research Association, 1993.
The Value of Attending a Women's College. Paper presented at a conference on Equity and
Diversity for Women and Girls, sponsored by the American Association of University Women and
Mills College, 1992.
Responding to the Unique Needs of Southeast Asian Students. Paper presented at the 5th Annual
Conference in Racial & Ethnic Relations in American Higher Education, 1992.
Norms of Sex Grouping in School and Mathematics Achievement: Comparative Results Using the
Second International Mathematics Study Data. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American
Sociological Association, 1991 (with David Baker and Maryellen Schaub).
Single- and Mixed-Sex Colleges for Women: Occupational Attainment and Other Outcomes. Paper
presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, 1989.
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PROFESSIONAL PAPERS continued:
A Data Based Approach to Teaching Social Foundations or Sociology of Education. Paper presented
at the annual meeting of the International Association for Computing in Education (joint with the
meeting of the American Education Research Association, 1988).
A Data Based Approach to Teaching Introductory Sociology. Paper presented at the annual meeting of
the American Sociological Association, 1988.
Gender Context and Educational Achievement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American
Educational Research Association, 1987.
Problems of Consulting on Race Relations in Small Cities. Paper presented at the annual meeting of
the American Sociological Association, 1985.
Intergroup Contact in Small Cities. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study
of Social Problems, 1985.
The Routes of Education? A Critique presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological
Association, 1984.
Public and Catholic Schooling: Cognitive Outcomes in Context. Paper read at the annual meeting of
the American Educational Research Association, 1984.
Producing Equal-Status Interracial Interaction. Paper read at the annual meeting of the Society for the
Study of Social Problems, 1979 (with J. A. Ruggiero).
Interracial Interaction: The Relative Effects of Self-Esteem, Social Status and Compensatory Education
upon Behavioral Performance. Paper read at the annual meeting of the American Sociological
Association, 1978.
An Experimental Study of Short Term Integration: Some Effects for Tolerance and Ethnocentrism.
Paper read at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society, 1976.
The Conditions and Effects of Equal Status Contact: A Critical Review." Paper read at the annual
meeting of the American Sociological Association, 1975.
ORGANIZATIONAL EVALUATION REPORTS:
Buffalo Banks and Borewells: Childreach Makes Sense of Development." Final Report to
Childreach under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development, 1995.
Recently Arrived Racial/Ethnic Groups in Attleboro. Final Report to the Task Force on Minority
Affairs, Attleboro, Massachusetts, 1984.
Evaluation Report of the Encampment for Citizenship Program. Final Report to the Encampment for
Citizenship, New York, New York, 1975.
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Evaluation of a Human Relations Training Program for Police and Community Residents. Final
ORGANIZATIONAL EVALUATION REPORTS:
Report to the Institute for Community Psychology, Syracuse, New York, 1972.
Evaluation of the Center on Human Policy. Final Report to the Institute for Community Psychology,
Syracuse, New York, 1972.
OTHER EXPERIENCES:
Project Director (2002-2008); Brighter Choice Foundation Grant. Title of Research: From High
Risk to Above Average: The First Five Years at the Brighter Choice Charter School for Boys and
Girls.
Project Director (2004-2006); U.S. Department of Education Research Grant to RMC Research
Corporation. Title of Research: Single Sex Schools: Characteristics and Effects.
Consultant (2002); Childreach Special Task Force on American Education and Third World Poverty.
Childreach, Warwick, RI.
Research Director (2000-2002) National Science Foundation Research Grant to ARC Center,
Lexington, MA. Title of Research: The Effects of Reform Standard-Based Elementary School
Mathematics Curricular on Student Achievement.
Consultant (1997-1998) Northeast and Islands Regional Laboratory at Brown (LAB) in conjunction
with a project on student centered and alternatives schools.
Consultant (1996-1997); Retained as an expert witness and educational consultant by the law firm of
Hughes, Hubbard and Reed, New York, NY in connection with the case of Yeau v. Boy Scouts of
America.
Signatory, Amici Curiae Brief in The Supreme Court of the United States, No. 94-1941 and 94-2107,
October Term, 1995.
Consultant (1995-present); Childreach (formerly Foster Parents Plan International). Serve as a
research consultant on reengineering project.
Consultant (1991-1995); Childreach (formerly Parents Plan International). Served as research
consultant on three year educational experiment designed to increase sponsor commitment and
retention.
Consultant (1991); Belmont Hill School for Boys, Belmont, MA. Provided advice for sub-committee
charged with framing a structure for a decision on whether to remain single-sex or go coed.
Consultant (1989-90); Retained as an expert witness and educational consultant by the law firm of
Alschuler, Grossman & Pines, Los Angeles, CA in connection with litigation concerning a proposed
coeducational merger of two single-sex schools.
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Consultant (1991) Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island with regard to A Proposal for Attitude
Research on the Catholic Church of Rhode Island.
OTHER EXPERIENCES continued
Consultant (1983-84) Foster Parents Plan International Warwick, RI, regarding data analysis project
in Sri Lanka.
Director (summers 1966-1969), Encampment for Citizenship, 2 West 64th Street, New York, New
York, EFC is a six week leadership training program for young people of high school and college
age. Students come from diverse economic levels, races, religions and regions. Responsibilities:
plan, direct, and supervise 15 educational and office staff, and 50-60 students for the duration of the
program; interview, select and contract staff; select and coordinate speakers, field trips, and
community service work done by students.
Peace Corps Volunteer, U.S. Peace Corps.
Washington, D.C.
1963-1964: stationed in Kerman, Iran
1964-1965: stationed in Isfahan, Iran
Primary duties: taught vocational arts in schools in these cities. Assisted in the planning,
development and construction of a new vocational school in Isfahan.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE:
Referee: American Sociological Review, 2000-2009
Allyn and Bacon, 1998-2000
Sociology of Education, 1998-2010
Teachers College Record, 2002-2011
State University of New York Press, 1997
Harper Collins, 1995
National Center for Educational Statistics, Special Report 1993
Sex Roles, 1993-2011
Social Psychology Quarterly, 1980-1987
Child Development, 1986
American Educational Research Association, 1984-present
Longman Press, 1988
WORKSHOPS:
Invited Participant, Institute on Statistical Analysis for Education Policy, American
Educational Research Association Small Grant Program, May 9-12, 1993, Atlanta, GA.
Invited Participant; National Science Foundation Enhancement Project, Second
International Mathematics Study of IEA. April, 1989, Los Angeles, CA. June, 1989,
Urbana Champaign, IL.
RESEARCH GRANTS:
Project Director (2003-2006); Single-Sex Schools: Characteristics and Effects. This is a 30 month
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study of single sex public schools funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Contract # ED-01CO-0055/0010.
RESEARCH GRANTS CONTINUED:
Project Director (2002-2004); Single Sex and Coeducational Public Schools: A Quasi-Experimental
and Qualitative Study. Funded by the Brighter Choice Foundation.
Project Director (2000-2002); Research grant from the American Educational Research
Association and National Science Foundation. Title of Research: Male/Female Early
Achievement and Development: Targeting the Birth of the Gender Gap Among Children
in the Public Schools.
Project Director (1992-1993); Research grant from the American Educational Research
Association and National Science Foundation. Title of Research: The Value of
Attending a Women's College in the 1980s: Educational, Occupational and Attitudinal
Benefits.
Project Director (1988-1989); Research grant from Aid to Faculty Research Committee at
Providence College. Title of Research: Single-and Mixed-Sex Schooling: Cross
National Perspectives.
Project Director (1977 to 1978); Research grant from Aid to Faculty Research Committee
at Providence College. Title of research: Physiological Correlates of Status in Small Groups.
Project Co-Director (1974 to 1975), (with J. A. Ruggiero); Research grant from Aid to Faculty
Research Committee of Providence College. Title of research: "A Replication and
Extension of Experiments in Modification of Interracial Interaction Disability."