One of the consequences of this advance in knowledge is that social psychologists have increasingly been called upon to apply their ideas in order to advise on. We need to intellectually overcome our more negative and damaging instinctive behaviors. This volume highlights, via a critical lens, the most notable recent developments in the field, demonstrating its vitality and its capacity for reinvention and integration with a variety of. Following wwii and the desegregation of the military and other public institutions, policymakers and social scientists had turned an eye towards the policy. Reducing intergroup conflict through contact association. Recent advances in intergroup contact theory sciencedirect.
A metaanalytic test of intergroup contact theory thomas f. While studying abroad, staying with host families is one way to get to know and understand the culture better. A family member characteristic, such as geographic distance from the nursing home, affects his or her frequency of contact with the nursing home. Gordon allports contact hypothesis has been greatly advanced over the decades into what is now called contact theory.
The basic idea of intergroup contact theorythat contact between groups reduces prejudiceis presented. Implications of missing critical variables from an analysis of intergroup contact theory. Intergroup contact theory intergroup contact theory allport, 1954 suggests that communication between social group members can lead to positive intergroup attitudes. We examined the relationship between group boundary spanners work group identification and effective i. Guided by concepts from intergroup contact theory ict, formerly allports 1954 contact hypothesis, i asked fans to identify and discuss factors that were relevant to their experiences at the event. Toby mordkoff department of psychology pennsylvania state university this article introduces the exposure index as a measure of intergroup contact and ingroup isolation. Pettigrew university of california, santa cruz linda r.
The theory behind this formula, which emphasizes that context shapes behavior in conjunction with an individuals motivations and beliefs, is a cornerstone of social psychological research. This chapter examines the literature on intergroup contact from a communication perspective. The chapter outlines a longitudinal intergroup contact theory. Several studies have been conducted to confirm the robustness of intergroup contact theory to reduce sentiments among people from different races. Positive social interaction between members of opposing social groups intergroup contact is an effective method of prejudice reduction allport, 1954. Pdf a metaanalytic test of intergroup contact theory. Intergroup contact and intergroup conflict citeseerx.
Pdf intergroup contact theory has been one of the most influential theories in social psychology since it was first. Implications of negative and positive contact for collective action in advantaged and disadvantaged groups. The contact hypothesisintergroup contact theory youtube. Using psychological mechanisms to reduce intergenerational.
In the present research, we test the contact hypothesis in a virtual. The classic intergroup contact hypothesis states that the optimal conditions for reducing prejudice in an intergroup contact situation include equal status between. The area of intergroup relations and social conflict has once again become a major focus of social psychological theorizing and research. Yet research finds that the positive effects of cross. Staying with host families provides students an opportunity for sustained interpersonal interaction with individuals from. Intergroup contact theory proposes that intergroup prejudice can be reduced when members of different groups interact with each other under optimal conditions. This thesis explores how intergroup contact theory can be applied to age groups to reduce ageism towards older adults. Advances in experimental social psychology, 37, 255343. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 43 6, 901902.
Examples of this fallacy are drawn from the expanding research literature on intergroup contact, where we discuss the implications of missing critical variables from the analysis including segregation, effects of negative as well as positive contact, extended contact, and contact when the outgroup is in the majority. The contact hypothesis the intergroup contact hypothesis was first proposed by allport 1954, who suggested that positive effects of intergroup contact occur in contact situations characterized by four key conditions. With 7 independent samples from 515 studies, the metaanalysis finds that intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup. Boundary spanners identification, intergroup contact, and. The volume is organized into four domains crossdisciplinary approaches to intergroup study. Allport 1954 developed what has become the most influential statement of intergroup contact theory, stating that prejudice will be reduced when the contact situation embodies four primary conditions. The social psychology of intergroup conflict theory. According to all researchers, this contact must meet conditions spelled out by allport 1954. Geographic distance, contact, and family perceptions of. It represents both a versatile experimental paradigm for investigating the extended and indirect impacts of social contact, as well as a flexible and. Pdf allport specified four conditions for optimal intergroup contact. Throughout my career, i have pursued three theories related to intergroup prejudiceeach with a different mentor. Intergroup contact theory posits that intergroup contact can help two rival groups to reduce the prejudice and discrimination effectively, especially under certain conditions such as intergroup.
Nagda university of washington patricia gurin and kelly e. Intergroup contact an overview sciencedirect topics. In psychology and other social sciences, the contact hypothesis suggests that intergroup contact under appropriate conditions can effectively reduce prejudice between majority and minority group members. The effect of frequency of nursing home contact on family perceptions of quality care is the focus of this research. Labbased and realworld studies have examined the impact of different types of interactions including facetoface contact, indirect forms of contact, and. The handbook of intergroup communication brings together research, theory and application on traditional as well as innovative intergroup situations, exploring the communication aspect of these groups. This theory has been extensively supported by hundreds of empirical studies using a variety of methodologies and in numerous intergroup contexts. Gordon allports contact hypothesis facing history and. Allport specified four conditions for optimal intergroup contact. The outcomes of social interactions among members of different groupstermed intergroup or crossgroup interactionshave long been of interest to psychologists. A criticaldialogic model for effective intergroup interaction nicholas sorensen. P, e behavior is a function of the person and their environment to group behavior. The intergroup contact theory is based on the idea that interactions between members of different groups help improve intergroup attitudes and reduce intergroup tensions and prejudice.
The discussion explores the implications of these studies for theory, research, and practice. The institute for intergroup understanding exists to help create intergroup peace. The approach combines 50 years of research into the effects of contact with recent advances in social cognition. A selection bias limits crosssectional studies, since prejudiced people avoid intergroup contact. Across two studies, we examine the relation between intergroup contact quantity and quality of contact, empathy study 1 and study 2, anxiety study 2, and helping intentions across a variety of dimensions and behaviors study 1 and study 2, as well as level of commitment to helping outgroup members study 2. Intergroup contact theory suggests that interactions with outgroup members foster positive outgroup attitudes allport, 1954. The past, present and future of research on the contact hypothesis. A metaanalysis with 515 studies and more than 250,000 subjects demonstrates that intergroup contact typically reduces prejudice mean r 21. The application of the theory toward the improvement of intergroup relations has had the effect of concealing the fact that contact theory is fundamentally a prejudice theory and not a theory of intergroup relations. In this article, we outline a new implementation of intergroup contact theory. The primary focus of this study was therefore not on the statistical analysis of the contact data in relation to intergroup contact theory, but on the.
Intergroup contact theory has been one of the most influential theories in social psychology since it was first formulated by gordon allport in 1954. Tropp boston college the present article presents a metaanalytic test of intergroup contact theory. The contact hypothesis allport, 1954 is one of the most influential and long standing theories of prejudice reduction. Allports original conditions for optimal contact equal status, common goals, no intergroup competition, and authority sanction facilitate the effect but are. I summarize the debate, and argue that the efficacy of direct, face. Many authors claim that the best predictor of prejudice reduction is intergroup contact. Studying abroad is associated with numerous benefits including a reduction in prejudice sell, 1983 and is therefore encouraged by universities. Examining knowledge sharing among individuals from different tribes. Annals of the international communication association. Within this literature, the term group represents a social category e. The data suggest this relationship was moderated by boundary spanners levels of organizational identification, thus supporting a dual identity.
How can intergroup interaction be bad if intergroup. Two studies investigated intergroup contact with immigrants in italy. Allport is often credited with the development of the contact hypothesis, also known as intergroup contact theory. Intergroup contact theory and global perspective in. Intergroup contact theory is enjoying a renaissance. Criticism for allports contact theory regarding generalization hypothesis does not consider how these effects will be seen outside the immediate contact situation, how they will generalize to other groups. Article information, pdf download for intergroup contact and prejudice toward. In a second step, based on allports intergroup contact theory that contact with outgroup members may improve attitudes towards these outgroups and other related findings, we examine the longitudinal processes between positive intergroup contact with foreigners and attitudes.
This discount cannot be combined with any other discount or promotional offer. Intergroup contact remains one of the most effective means to reduce prejudice and conflict between groups. This final video assignment describes and uses supporting detail to to summarize the contact hypothesis, also called intergroup contact theory. The past decade has witnessed a dramatic resurgence of interest in this timetested phenomenon, with researchers now focusing on understanding when, why, and for whom contact does and does not work. In criminology, psychology, and sociology, the contact hypothesis has been described as one of the best ways to improve relations among groups that are experiencing conflict. Keywords intergroup anxiety, intergroup contact, intergroup attitudes, intergroup relations. In terms of intergroup relations, he applied his formula of b. Facebook, intergroup contact, online social networks, prejudice, virtual contact. Intergroup contact theory states that when an individual is allowed to communicate with someone who belongs to another group, their prejudices toward this other group will be reduced. A measure of intergroup contact clark mccauley, mary plummer, and sophia moskalenko department of psychology bryn mawr college j. Extending allports cognitive analysis of prejudice. We instinctively divide the world into us and them and we react very differently to. Research examining this idea from a communication perspective is described and integrated with the large socialpsychological body of work. Apllort hypothesised that properly managed contact between groups should reduce these problems and lead to better interactions.