Relations between readiness to engage in more intimate bilateral or unilateral dyadic ethnic contact and student outcomes were investigated in 28 desegregated sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in Israel. Desired level of intimacy was determined by students' ratings of their readiness to maintain more or less intimate social contact with each of their classmates. Unilateral and bilateral openness to social interaction were defined by comparing respondents' desired intimacy with target's readiness to reciprocate these expectations. As hypothesized, academic and social outcomes of higher-status Western students as well as lower-status Middle Eastern classmates were primarily related to bilateral, reciprocated contact with members of the dominant group. These outcomes were generally unrelated to unilateral, unreciprocated contact with higher-status members or to unilateral or bilateral contact with members of the lower-status group. Results are discussed by converging reference group theory and elicited reciprocal intimacy.
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