Lecture 10: Intergroup Interactions Flashcards
Richeson & Shelton Interracial Interactions Study
Participants went through a same-race or cross-race interaction for 10-15 mins. After, they completed a measure of “executive control”, the Stroop task. Finally, they completed an IAT. Participants who reported more pro-White implicit bias on the IAT had the most difficulty with the Stroop Task following a cross-race interaction (fewer cognitive resources leftover)
measure of executive control
determines how many cognitive resources you have available
Stroop task
must name the ink colour that spells out the names of other colours
motivation & intergroup interactions
One’s motivation to control prejudiced responses is a strong predictor of the quality of intergroup interactions
Asby Plant & Patricia Devine
divided motivation to control prejudice into “internal motivation” & “external motivation”
distribution of internal motivation to control prejudice
The internal motivation to control prejudice is negatively skewed; most people are internally motivated to control prejudice
distribution of external motivation to control prejudice
The external motivation to control prejudice is normally distributed
are internal and external motivation to control prejudice correlated?
no
behaviours of White participants high in internal motivation
are concerned about showing respect toward Black interaction partners (affiliative behaviour)
behaviours of white participants high in external motivation
more self-focused, concerned about not appearing prejudiced in the eyes of the Black interaction partner (self-regulated behaviour)
external motivation to control prejudice was associated with
- Concerns about appearing prejudiced
- Self-focused behavioural intentions
internal motivation to control prejudice was associated with
- Concerns about being respectful
- Partner-focused behavioural intentions
- Actual respectful behaviour in the get-to-know-you video
contact hypothesis (Allport)
Interpersonal contact between groups will improve intergroup relations
higher levels of intergroup contact are associated with
- Increased knowledge about outgroup
- Increased empathy with outgroup
- Reduced intergroup anxiety
- Reduced implicit & explicit prejudice
- Reduced outgroup threat
optimal conditions for contact
- support of authorities
- equal status
- common goals
- cooperation
- contact as individuals
support from authorities
authorities support friendly, egalitarian contact and interaction between groups
equal status
members of groups have similar social status within a situation
Blanchard equal status study
cooperation backfires when a clear status hierarchy exists and often results in scapegoating behaviour (blaming an outgroup partner for a shared loss)
cooperation
groups work together to attain goals
Brown cooperation correlation study
athletes in team sports who had high contact with their teammates were less prejudiced. Demonstrates that both contact & cooperation produce less prejudice
contact as individuals
opportunities to know outgroup members as individuals in informal settings
example of contact as a public policy
The Central Council of Jews in Germany launched a program called “Meet a Jew”, which seeks to introduce Jews to non-Jews at events through Germany with the aim to humanize Jews amid years of rising antisemitic violence. Through the program, 350 volunteers have been visiting public locations to talk about themselves in an ask-me-anything style
why do people hesitate to initiate intergroup friendships?
- Worry they won’t know how to act
- Anticipate anxiety
- Expect to have a more negative experience than reality suggests
- Worry about rejection
white people’s worry about contact with Black people
Black people will think they’re prejudiced
Black people’s worry about contact with white people
White people hold negative stereotypes about their group
people’s perceptions about the interest & reject of their cross-racial partner
People believe that they’re the only one afraid of rejection and that only the other person isn’t interested
perceptions of intergroup contact vs. actual intergroup contact
Dunn et al., 2007: people think intergroup contact will be less positive than it really is
extended contact
having a friend with an outgroup friend
extended contact & levels of prejudice
associated with lower levels of prejudice
why does extended contact reduce prejudice?
- Reduces intergroup anxiety
- Changes perception of norms
- Cognitive consistency “The friend of my friend must also be my friend”
imagined contact & levels of prejudice
associated with lower levels of prejudice
parasocial contact
Experiences with outgroup members via mass communication
parasocial contact & prejudice
associated with lower levels of prejudice
negative intergroup contact
Negative experiences with outgroup members that result in increased prejudice
prevalence & effect of negative intergroup contact
Less common than positive contact, but more influential on prejudice when it does happen
why is negative intergroup contact so influential?
if you have a negative encounter with an outgroup member, you’re more likely to generalize to their entire outgroup compared to having a positive encounter
intergroup contact & support for social change for advantaged groups
For members of advantaged groups, greater intergroup contact is associated with higher support for social change
intergroup contact & support for social change for disadvantaged groups
For members of disadvantaged groups, greater intergroup contact is associated with lower support for social change
Hassler et al., 2019
measured support for social change in a variety of ways across members of ethnic majorities vs. minorities and among cis-heterosexuals & LGBTQ+ individuals. Found that the only outcome that was positively associated with intergroup contact for both disadvantaged and advantaged group members was willingness to work in solidarity.
willingness to work in solidarity
assessed the degree to which group members would form intergroup connections to bring about justice
among advantaged groups, what might willingness to work in solidarity reflect?
a recognition that social change is the responsibility of many in the larger society as a whole rather than a burden to be carried solely by members of disadvantaged groups
Schindler & Westcott, 2020
looked at how troop placement in WWll in England is associated with racial attitudes. Individuals in areas of the UK where more Black troops were posted are more tolerant (implicit attitudes, explicit attitudes, and political orientation) towards minorities 60 years after the last troops left.
the takeaway from Schindler & Westcott’s study
Demonstrates that effects must be at least partly due to intergenerational transmission and the power of cultural norms
