Racial Discrimination, Pain, and the Buffering Influences of Acknowledgment

Black young adults (aged 18-30; N = 92) were racially included (i.e., received the ball an equal number of times) or excluded (i.e., received the ball only once) by other White players in a ball-tossing computer game called Cyberball; White experimenters acknowledged the exclusion for half of the excluded participants. Participants completed a cold-pressor task twice to measure pain sensitivity (threshold, tolerance, and unpleasantness): immediately prior, and after the Cyberball (and acknowledgment) manipulation. Participants also completed a post-manipulation survey examining the psychological effects of racial exclusion and acknowledgment (i.e., psychological needs satisfaction, negative affect, control).