International students provide a variety of benefits to higher education institutions within the United States (J. J. Lee, 2007; J. J. Lee & C. Rice, 2007). Despite these benefits, many international students experience prejudice and discrimination by American students. The purpose of the present study was to examine several potential predictors of prejudice against international students: perceptions of international students as symbolic and realistic threats, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation. A simultaneous regression analysis that the authors based on 188 students at a Southwestern university revealed that perceptions of symbolic and realistic threats and social dominance orientation were each positive and significant predictors of prejudice. Mediation analyses suggested that the effects of right-wing authoritarianism on prejudice is fully mediated through perceived symbolic threat and partially mediated by realistic threat. Copyright © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

International students Social dominance orientation realistic threat symbolic threat right-wing authoritarianism

anxiety Social Values Models, Psychological social psychology psychological model psychological aspect Social Identification human Terrorism international cooperation social dominance United States Young Adult student Humans psychology Adolescent male female Behavior Article symbolism adult Prejudice Southwestern United States Authoritarianism authority International Educational Exchange Students Power (Psychology) social behavior