The three studies were designed to test a social-contextual model of dominance and cardiovascular stress reactivity (CVR) that synthesized and elaborated earlier models in order to account for (1) cardiovascular consequences of exposure to dominant others and (2) differences in dominant men's and women's cardiovascular responses to social interactions. Because of the disproportionately high rates of CVD among Black Americans, both Black and white men and women were included in the studies.