Intergroup conflict and prejudice

Question 1

Prejudice according to Allport

Answer 1

Prejudice is thinking ill of others without sufficent warrant

Question 2

The contact hypothesis

Answer 2

Prejudice = may be reduced by equal status contact between majority and minority groups in pursuit of common goals

Hostility between groups = fed by unfamiliarity & seperation = under the right conditions contact between members of diff groups = will reduce hostility

Common goals force ppl to think & work beyond their own group - they should ideally be something both group want but neither can achieve alone

Question 3

Allport (1954) - 4 ingredients

Answer 3

1. Social & Institutional support
2. Acquaintance potential
3. Equal status
4. Cooperative interaction

Question 4

What is the ‘social and institutional support’ ingredient?

Answer 4

• Support for mixing @ a higher level - could be encouraged by a gov or community/ religious leaders
  e.g racially integrated v serrated housing in the USA provided one pre-existing situation to research (USA = racially segregrated until 1960s)

Question 5

What is the ‘Acquaintance potential’ ingredient

Answer 5

Personalised contact rather than brief/formal contact (socially rewarding)
Socially rewearding experience could get raise to group
Acquire info to disconfirm sterotypes

Question 6

What is the ‘equal status’ ingredient?

Answer 6

• Contact hound not reinforce power diff
• This = a challenge in hierarchial siituations like workplaces

Question 7

What is the Cooperative interaction?

Answer 7

• Competitive activities worsen relations
• Superordinate goals appeal to both groups = can not be achieved w/out cooperation

Question 8

Evidence for contact hypothesis - Pettigre & Troppp (2006)

Answer 8

Meta-analysis of 515 studies - shows highly significant p<.001 -ve r/s between contact & prejudice
- Effect = greatest where contact was structured to meet optimal conditions (especically cooperative interaction)

Question 9

Critique of contact hypothesis

Answer 9

Context - experiments more benign than real conflicts
Assumption that sterotypes will = disproved
Individual regarded as an exception (Cook, 1985)

Question 10

What is the core idea of the contact hypothesis = simple but which ingredient(s) = essential or just helpful?

Answer 10

Not all categories = equally meaningful
- Lack of clarity ab which strategies shoulld be used