Doing Dialogue Across Divides

Overview

This study will test whether a brief, practice-based course called Doing Dialogue Across Divides helps college freshmen navigate tense conversations more calmly and constructively. Through this research, investigators aim to provide scientific evidence that hands-on dialogue training improves cooperation and reduces stress during disagreements, offering colleges a simple, effective tool to support student communication.

Abstract

Polarization in universities underscores an urgent need for evidence‑based tools that help young adults engage productively with people who hold opposing views. This randomized controlled study will test a four‑week experiential curriculum, Doing Dialogue, designed to give first‑year college students (17–19 y) hands‑on practice in navigating high‑stakes disagreements.

After an initial baseline assessment (N = 108), students will be randomized (1:1:1) to (i) Doing Dialogue, (ii) lecture‑based instruction about dialogue, or (iii) wait‑list control (36 participants per arm). Each intervention arm meets once weekly for 2.5 h over four weeks; wait‑list students receive the active training after follow‑up. At both baseline and week 5, participants will engage in a scripted 10‑min conversation with a trained actor who forcefully advocates a position opposite to the student’s own.

Co‑primary outcomes are (1) the number of “interactive engagement” turns (ICAP framework) during the final three minutes of the conversation, and (2) the percent decrease in heart rate from the first to mid‑conversation epoch, indexed via wearable ECG sensors. We hypothesize that Doing Dialogue will yield larger gains in interactive behavior and greater physiologic down‑regulation than either comparison arm.

Broader Impact

Findings will establish whether short, scalable, practice‑oriented training can measurably reduce stress and increase constructive dialogue in real time. If successful, the project will provide a validated curriculum, biomarker‑supported evidence of efficacy, and open‑access materials for rapid adoption across higher‑education settings.