16. Intergroup contact Flashcards
What is the contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)
Interaction between individuals belonging to a different social group will help reduce prejudice and tension
What did Hewstone (2003) believe contact changed? (Intergroup Social)
- Attitudes toward the out-group
- Variability within one group
- Increased forgiveness from past misdeeds
- Decreased anxiety
What did Allport (1954) believe was necessary for prejudice to decrease in regards to the contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)
- Equal status
- Pursuit of common goals
- Working cooperatively
What did Cook (1978) believe in regards to the contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)
The out-group members should disconfirm stereotypes and high acquaintance potential
What are the flaws of contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)
- Overly specific (lost explanatory power)
- Many conditions are facilitating, rather than essential
What are the three main limitations of contact hypothesis outlined by Hewstone & Brown (1986)? (Intergroup Social)
- Assumption that greater knowledge reduces prejudice
- Interpersonal vs. intergroup contact
- Generalisation of attitude change
What is meant by the limitation of: assumption that greater knowledge reduces prejudice? (Intergroup Social)
Intergroup hostility may be caused by factors other than ignorance
What is meant by the limitation of: interpersonal vs. intergroup contact? (Intergroup Social)
- Similarities between groups encourage discrimination in oder to preserve distinctiveness
- Similarities attract an interpersonal relationship but not an intergroup relationship
What is meant by the limitation of: generalisation of attitudes? (Intergroup Social)
- Positive attitudes to out-group may not extend to other settings
- P’s should be seen as representative of their group, not as an exception to the rule
What three ways could allow for a differentiated view of a group? (Intergroup Social)
- Decategorisation
- Mutual in-group differentiation
- Recategorisation
What is decategorisation? (Intergroup Social)
- Replacing category basis with interpersonal relations
- Personalisation should reduce the importance of the group membership
What is mutual in-group differentiation? (Intergroup Social)
- Avoid depriving groups of their valued social identities
- Stereotype groups positively rather than negatively
What is recategorisation? (Intergroup Social)
Introducing a superordinate category where a new social group improves the attitude toward former out-group members
