Black Participation in Voluntary Associations

Abstract

This study explored the potential of a new approach to predicting and understand ing black participation in voluntary community organizations. A set of variables based on Mischel's (1973) "cognitive social learning variables" was compared with a larger set of traditional demographic and personality variables for ability to dis criminate blacks who differed in their level of participation. The "cognitive social learning variables" are person variables which attempt to conceptualize how the qualities of the person alter the input of stimuli and how complex behavior patterns are generated by a interaction of person and situation. Analyses indicated the ap proximate statistical comparability of the two sets. Advantages of the use of the cognitive social learning approach for understanding and intervening in black par ticipation in voluntary organizations are discussed.