Imagining intergroup contact can improve intergroup attitudes

被引:344
作者
Turner, Rhiannon N. [1 ]
Crisp, Richard J. [2 ]
Lambert, Emily [3 ]
机构
[1] Univ Leeds, Inst Psychol Sci, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England
[2] Univ Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, Kent, England
[3] Univ Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, W Midlands, England
关键词
intergroup contact; reducing prejudice;
D O I
10.1177/1368430207081533
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 [教育学]; 0402 [心理学];
摘要
We investigated whether simply imagining contact with outgroup members can improve intergroup attitudes. In Experiment 1, young participants who imagined talking to an elderly person subsequently showed lower levels of intergroup bias than participants who imagined an outdoor scene. In Experiment 2, young participants who imagined talking to an elderly person subsequently showed lower levels of intergroup bias than participants who simply thought about elderly people, ruling out a priming explanation for our findings. In Experiment 3, heterosexual men who imagined talking to a homosexual man subsequently evaluated homosexual men more positively, perceived there to be greater variability among them, and experienced less intergroup anxiety compared to a control group. The effect of imagined contact on outgroup evaluations was mediated by reduced intergroup anxiety. These findings suggest that imagining intergroup contact could represent a viable alternative for reducing prejudice where actual contact between groups is impractical.
引用
收藏
页码:427 / 441
页数:15
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