The out-group must not be so bad after all: The effects of disclosure, typicality, and salience on intergroup bias

Two contact studies integrated the personalization (M. B. Brewer & N. Miller, 1984) and category-based models (M. Hewstone & R. J. Brown, 1986), proposing that greater reduction of intergroup bias can be achieved by the interactive effects of disclosure and typicality (Study 1) or disclosure and salience (Study 2). In Study I the impact of self-disclosure and typicality combined interactively to augment intergroup acceptance. Study 2 extended these findings by examining the combined effects of disclosure and category salience. It also explored the mediational roles of group-relevant and person-relevant information on the effects of typicality and disclosure, respectively. Results showed that during cooperative dyadic out-group contact, self-disclosure, typicality, and salience were key factors for reducing bias toward new members of that out-group category.