Social integration (i.e., feeling a sense of belonging, involvement, support, or connectedness) is an important factor in university student retention, especially among students of color from underrepresented groups. Despite theoretical models and correlational evidence pointing to the relevance of these social experiences, few studies have attempted to experimentally increase social integration and, subsequently, retention. In this randomized experimental study, we used a brief, structured closeness-induction task to promote peer connections among undergraduate students and found that the closeness-induction task, compared to a small-talk task, was effective in boosting retention, especially among students of color. This research suggests that structured interactions could be an effective strategy for universities to encourage retention of students from underrepresented groups.

社会融合（即感觉归属感，参与感，支持感或联系感）是保留大学生的重要因素，特别是在代表性不足的有色学生中。尽管有理论模型和相关证据指出了这些社会经历的相关性，但很少有研究尝试通过实验来提高社会融合度，进而增加社会保留度。在这项随机实验研究中，我们使用了简短的，结构化的亲密感诱导任务来促进大学生之间的同伴关系，发现与小谈话任务相比，亲密感诱导任务可以有效地提高保留率，尤其是在高中生之间颜色。