A cultural mismatch: Independent cultural norms produce greater increases in cortisol and more negative emotions among first-generation college students

► First-generation students experience a cultural mismatch in university settings. ► This mismatch leads to an aversive state that affects biological functioning. ► Independent norms produced a social class gap in cortisol and negative emotions. ► Interdependent norms eliminated the social class gap in cortisol and negative emotions. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o American universities increasingly admit first-generation students—students whose parents do not have four-year degrees. Once admitted, these students experience greater challenges adjusting to universities compared to continuing-generation students—students who have at least one parent with a four-year degree. This additional adversity is typically explained in terms of first-generation students' relative lack of economic (e.g., money) or academic (e.g., preparation) resources. We propose that this adversity also stems from a cultural mismatch between the mostly middle-class, independent norms institutionalized in American universities and the relatively interdependent norms that first-generation students are socialized with in working-class contexts before college. As predicted, an experiment revealed that framing the university culture in terms of independent norms (cultural mismatch) led first-generation students to show greater increases in cortisol and less positive/more negative emotions than continuing-generation students while giving a speech. However, reframing the university culture to include interdependent norms (cultural match) eliminated this gap. Introduction When I went to the TA for help with the essay, the TA said 'write whatever you want, I want you to discover whatever interests you and go from there.' Without guidance from her or knowing what other students are doing, it's really frustrating. I just want to do it the right way. Why does it have to be so hard?-First-generation college student's reaction to assignment Students from underrepresented backgrounds now have unprecedented opportunities to attend American colleges and universities. Reflecting this trend, first-generation college students—students whose parents do not have four-year college degrees—are increasingly present in higher education (Housel & Harvey, 2009). In fact, they represent 1-in-6 students at four-year American universities (Saenz, Hurtado, Barrera, Wolf, & Yeung, 2007). Despite this increased access, first-generation students continue to experience greater challenges navigating university environments than continuing-generation students— students who have at least one parent with a four-year degree. Why do first-generation students experience greater adversity in college compared to continuing-generation students? One common explanation is resource deficiency: first-generation students struggle more because they lack the economic (e.g., money) or academic (e.g., preparation) resources that …