Territoriality and Nonconscious Racism at Water Fountains: Intruders and Drinkers (Blacks and Whites) Are Affected by Race

Two studies were conducted to examine the territorial behavior of Blacks and Whites who were intruded on while drinking at a water fountain. In the first study, an experiment, there was a significant interaction of intrusion and race of drinker: White subjects left faster when intruded on by a White confederate than when not intruded on, whereas Black subjects stayed longer when intruded on by a White confederate than when not intruded on. In the second study, observations of same-race and cross-race intrusions revealed that cross-race intruders waited significantly longer before intruding than did same-race intruders, and drinkers stayed significantly longer after intrusions by cross-race than by same-race intruders.