Please See Me: Students' Reactions to Professor's Request as a Function of Attachment and Perceived Support

Abstract

Abstract The author explored college students' (N = 151) perceptions of a professor's note—“Please see me”—as a function of the students' attachment style and perceived support. Data collected were the students' reactions to the note, attachment style, and perceived social support. Compared with the securely attached students, the insecurely attached students had more negative emotional reactions to the note and were less likely to believe that the professor had positive reasons for wanting to see them. Fearful students, male students, and students with lower GPAs were more likely to ignore the note and expended less effort to see the professor. Perceived availability of support was related to attachment style, and satisfaction with support was related to some beliefs about the professor's intentions.