Heterosocial Avoidance in College Males

Abstract

The heterosocial skill deficits of nondating college men were explored in four separate assessment studies. The first two experiments compared dating and nondating men on numerous self-report, observational, and performance measures. The third study empirically established what social norms govern the initiation of conversations with strangers, and assessed the relative knowledge of these norms among daters and nondaters. The final study obtained naturalistic samples of heterosocial avoidance behaviors among daters and nondaters. Overall, nondaters were primarily characterized by the avoidance of interactions; by low self-ratings of skill, confidence, and approach behaviors; and by less knowledge about social cues and norms. The Survey of Heterosexual Interactions—a self-report measure employed throughout the studies is also presented in an appendix, along with normative data.