A student confederate of the researchers approached 72. White students as each was walking across the campus to get responses for an opinion poll she said she was conducting for a class. At the same time, a second White student actually another confederate working with the researchers was stopped and asked to participate in the survey. Both students were then asked how Smith College should respond to anonymous racist notes actually sent to four African American students in 1989. The confederate always answered first. In some cases, she condemned the notes; in other, she justified them.