Intergroup Contact as an Agent of Cognitive Liberalization

Children in ethnically diverse classrooms and those with cross-ethnic friendships excel at understanding others' minds

This study examined the link between classroom ethnic diversity, cross-ethnic friendships, and children's theory of mind. In total, 730 children in the United Kingdom (54.7% girls, 51.5% White) aged 8 to 13 years completed measures of theory of mind in 2019/2020. Controlling for verbal ability, executive function, peer social preference, and teacher-reported demographic characteristics, greater classroom ethnic diversity provided opportunities for cross-ethnic friendships, and children with cross-ethnic friendships performed better than peers without cross-ethnic friendships on theory of mind. These results extend accounts of intergroup contact by using direct assessments of children's theory of mind and advance social accounts of theory of mind by demonstrating how experiences outside the family are linked with theory of mind.

Nostalgic intergroup contact and intergroup relations:Theoretical, empirical, and applied dimensions

Recent research has highlighted the potential of nostalgic recall of intergroup contact as a means of enhancing intergroup relationships and tackling prejudice. In this article, we review the scarce but promising literature that integrates research on nostalgia and intergroup contact. We outline the mechanisms that explain the link between nostalgic intergroup encounters and improved intergroup attitudes and behavior. We further highlight the benefits that nostalgic contact reverie may have for intergroup relations - and beyond. We then discuss the potential of nostalgic intergroup contact as a strategy for real-world, prejudice reduction interventions. Finally, we draw on current research from the fields of nostalgia and intergroup contact to make suggestions for future research. "… nostalgic memories … lead to a vivid sense of commonality [which] accelerates the process of acquaintance in a community where formerly only barriers may have existed." [1, p. 454].

Intergroup Contact Alleviates Loneliness: The Extensive Effect of Common Ingroup Identity

Purpose

Previous studies show that intergroup contact, through common ingroup identity, has impact on intergroup processes such as reducing intergroup bias, improving intergroup relations, etc. The effect of intergroup contact on individual psychological process (through common ingroup identity), however, needs further exploration. Based on the positive effect of both intergroup contact and ingroup identification on mental health and well-being, this article proposes and tests a new model of individual loneliness reduction through intergroup contact by promoting common ingroup identity.

Methods

A total of 263 majority ethnic members and 275 minority ethnic members from China participated in the survey. Intergroup contact, common ingroup identity and loneliness were measured at three time-points (T1-T3) over an 8-month period. Longitudinal mediation analysis and parallel process Latent Growth Curve Model for mediation are used for the examination of the indirect effect of common ingroup identity.

Results

Longitudinal mediation analysis showed that intergroup contact quality at T1 positively predicted common ingroup identity at T2, and common ingroup identity at T2 alleviated loneliness at T3. Intergroup contact quality at T1 was indirectly linked to loneliness at T3 via common ingroup identity at T2. The parallel process latent growth curve model for mediation confirmed the robustness of the indirect effect of common ingroup identity. In addition, the growth rate of the quality of intergroup contact increased the growth rate of common ingroup identity, but reduced the growth rate of loneliness.

Conclusion

The current study revealed the protectiveness of intergroup contact and common ingroup identity on loneliness, viz., intergroup contact reduces individual loneliness by promoting common ingroup identity, the implication being that intergroup contact and common ingroup identity should be taken into account in intervening process of loneliness prevention so that an individual's physical and mental health could be better safeguarded.

Egalitarian Attitudes and Activity Spaces in Chitwan, Nepal

Connections between individuals' sociodemographic characteristics and their social attitudes have been widely studied, but there has been less research on how individuals' spatial patterns are related to attitudes. Studies that do incorporate space have focused on residential locations, neglecting spatial experience outside residential neighborhoods. To fill this gap, we test hypotheses relating multiple measures of activity space (AS) to social attitudes, using innovative spatial data from Nepal. First, we hypothesize that the gender and caste attitudes of a focal individual will be positively associated with the gender and caste attitudes of others in the focal individual's AS, including spaces beyond the residential neighborhood. Second, we hypothesize that privileged individuals (i.e., males and those of the Chhetri/Brahmin caste) with greater potential exposure to females and those of lower castes in their AS will have more egalitarian attitudes about gender and caste than those with less exposure in their AS. Linear regression models provide support for both hypotheses.

Looking for your cross-group friends after the breakout? Children's intergroup contact behaviours before and after the onset of COVID-19

While COVID-19 implications for prejudice have been investigated among adults in previous research, children's intergroup reactions to the pandemic and specifically how native children's contact behaviours with refugees might have changed after the pandemic has not been examined yet. Drawing on a unique longitudinal school dataset (N = 861, 5th graders, Mage reported at T1 = 10.38, SD = 0.68) collected before the onset of the pandemic (T1, pre-lockdown), after the onset of the pandemic (T2, post-lockdown), and 6 months after the post-lockdown (T3, follow-up) in Turkey, we examined how children's contact behaviour (positive and negative contact), contact motivation (self-efficacy and volition), as well as behavioural tendencies (approach and avoidance) have shifted during this period (2.5 years). We observed a consistent pattern of improvement in contact behaviours demonstrated by increases in positive contact variables and decreases in negative contact variables particularly from T1 to T2. The change in some positive contact variables was stable for 6 months, while negative contact and avoidance rapidly regressed to the baseline during the normalization period (T3). The boosting effect of the pandemic was particularly pronounced among children who displayed greater prejudice towards refugees before the pandemic. Findings contribute to the growing research literature delineating the potential benefits of COVID-19 at the collective level.

Promoting positive intergroup attitudes using persona dolls: A vicarious contact intervention program in Israeli kindergartens

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a vicarious contact intervention program for improving knowledge and attitudes of Jewish-Israeli secular and religious children regarding their ingroup and three outgroups: secular/religious Jews, Ethiopian-descendant Jews, and Arabs. One hundred and nine kindergartners participated in a four-week intervention, in which experimenters introduced to them four persona dolls representing the different groups. Accompanied by stories, children were exposed to the dolls’ individual and group characteristics, and to positive encounters between the dolls. A pre- and post-test battery assessed the intervention’s effects on children’s intergroup knowledge and attitudes. Findings revealed an increase in children’s knowledge of the groups, improvements in religious children’s attitudes towards Arabs, and in both secular and religious children’s willingness to sit closer to Ethiopian-descendant children. These findings highlight the potential of indirect contact for reducing intergroup bias in young children living in multicultural and conflict-ridden societies.

The negative secondary transfer effect: Comparing proposed mediation theories

The secondary transfer effect proposes that contact with an outgroup impacts attitudes towards another, secondary outgroup. For positive contact, three pathways have been identified for the effect: attitude generalization, multiculturalism, and ingroup reappraisal (deprovincialization hypothesis, operationalized here as national pride). Research on negative secondary transfer effects is still scarce. Using data from a German nationally representative survey, we investigated negative secondary transfer effects from foreigners to refugees. The three pathways were compared while considering positive and refugee contact. Negative and positive secondary transfer effects both occurred (partially) mediated via attitude generalization and multiculturalism but not via national pride. We conclude there might be a risk of generalizing prejudice from unrelated negative experiences via these two mechanisms. Research on forced migration and intergroup contact should further explore them with the ultimate goal of preventing negative secondary transfer effects. Longitudinal or experimental research is needed to address causality, ideally involving various outgroups.

The Early Expression of Blatant Dehumanization in Children and Its Association with Outgroup Negativity

Dehumanization is observed in adults across cultures and is thought to motivate human violence. The age of its first expression remains largely untested. This research demonstrates that diverse representations of humanness, including a novel one, readily elicit blatant dehumanization in adults (N = 482) and children (aged 5-12; N = 150). Dehumanizing responses in both age groups are associated with support for outgroup inferiority. Similar to the link previously observed in adults, dehumanization by children is associated with a willingness to punish outgroup transgressors. These findings suggest that exposure to cultural norms throughout adolescence and adulthood are not required for the development of outgroup dehumanization.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Education and Individual Student Development: Understanding the Full Picture in the Era of School Choice

A primary through-line of the research literature on the correlates of structural diversity in education has focused on intergroup outcomes, including prejudice reduction and improving attitudes toward racial and ethnic out-groups. Over the past two decades, advances in theory have illustrated how individuals may cognitively adapt to ongoing interactions with diverse others, informing new investigations into the potentially beneficial effects of educational diversity for individual development outside the intergroup context and beyond the impacts of more equitable resource distribution. The current article summarizes the state of research on links between children and youth’s experiences in racially and ethnically diverse schools and classrooms and their individual development in academic, social-emotional, and executive function domains. Overall, the emerging research on these individual effects is promising. Implications within the context of increasing support for school choice are discussed.

Preparing education for the crises of tomorrow: A framework for adaptability

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted learning globally, exacerbating regional and global disparities that predated the pandemic. This rupture presents a unique opportunity to reimagine our educational system in times of both calm and crisis. Drawing on the work of political scientist Kathleen Thelen and economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, this article introduces a Framework for adaptability that outlines examples of flexible and equitable adaptation to change. The authors define adaptability as the ability of educational systems to respond to rapidly changing circumstances while maintaining stability, promoting equality, and expanding substantive freedoms and well-being. The key components of educational adaptability are: (1) cooperation, (2) inclusion, and (3) flexibility. This article describes how adaptability in education might be facilitated at individual, community, state and global levels. The authors call attention to a critical need to collectivise our approach to risk at the level of national governance. They suggest that this can be achieved by coordinating various professional, scientific, corporate, community and governmental stakeholders in order to ensure continuity in educational service provision, promoting lifelong learning and overall workforce participation.

Evidence of a dynamic association between intergroup contact and intercultural competence

Three studies explored the association between intergroup contact and intercultural competence. Study 1 and Study 2 provided evidence of a cross-sectional association between intergroup contact and intercultural competence in which positive contact was associated with increased intercultural competence and negative contact was associated with reductions in this outcome. In Study 3, longitudinal data allowed us to test the possibility of mutual influence between these variables whereby intercultural competence is not only a consequence of intergroup contact but is also predictive of the quality of future intergroup contact. Results showed that positive contact was longitudinally associated with improvements in intercultural competence, and that higher intercultural competence was associated with a reduction in future negative contact. Findings speak to the importance of taking a dynamic outlook on contact effects. The beneficial consequences of positive contact may be the same variables capable of transforming future contact encounters and reducing the likelihood of negative interactions.

Effect of Contact-Based Interventions on Stigma and Discrimination: A Critical Examination of the Evidence

Contact-based interventions are commonly regarded as best practice in stigma reduction. In this Open Forum, the author used the findings from eight systematic reviews to critically evaluate the quality of the evidence for the effectiveness of such interventions. He found that trials of contact-based interventions lacked methodological rigor, reporting was biased toward positive results, the trials were subject to demand characteristics, no dose effects were observed, effects did not last, and no evidence supported behavior change. Standards for future trials are proposed and implications for reducing stigma and discrimination are discussed.

Multicultural Experiences and the Secondary Transfer Effect of Intercultural Attitudes

Abstract. This research investigates whether multicultural experiences (MCEs) (1) improve attitudes toward primary outgroups, (2) improve attitudes toward secondary outgroups (the “secondary transfer effect”) – depending on the perceived similarity versus dissimilarity of the target group, and (3) affect ingroup reappraisal. The deprovincialization and attitude generalization hypotheses were also investigated as underlying mechanisms. A meta-analysis of effects across studies ( N = 633) revealed MCEs (1) improve primary attitudes ( r = .19), (2) improve, albeit more weakly, similar secondary attitudes ( r = .10), but have no significant effect on dissimilar secondary attitudes ( r = .07); (3) have no effect on ingroup reappraisal ( r = .04), and (4) only improve secondary attitudes through attitude generalization. Contributions, limitations, and emerging questions regarding deprovincialization are discussed.

The psychology of revolution

Revolutions are attempts to forcibly overthrow the political and social order. However, most revolutions fail to generate longer-term psychological changes to bring about a match between the behavior of the population and the espoused goals of the revolution. Attempts by the new ruling 'revolutionary' elite to re-establish order in society often result in a resurgence of repression and corruption, and imprisonment for those considered 'anti-revolutionary'. Recent psychological research on revolutions explains this failure through limitations in political plasticity, the speed and extent to which political behavior does or does not change, which constrain the impact a revolution can have on individual and collective behavior.

Positive Emotions, More Than Anxiety or Other Negative Emotions, Predict Willingness to Interact With Robots

Like early work on human intergroup interaction, previous research on people's willingness to interact with robots has focused mainly on effects of anxiety. However, existing findings suggest that other negative emotions as well as some positive emotions also have effects. This article systematically examines the roles of positive and negative emotions in predicting willingness to interact with robots, using an integrative analysis of data across five studies that use diverse interaction conditions and several types of robots. We hypothesize and find that positive emotions account for more variance than negative emotions. Practically, the findings suggest new strategies for interventions, aimed at increasing positive emotions to increase willingness to engage in intergroup interaction. No existing work has examined whether positive emotions are stronger predictors than negative emotions for willingness for human intergroup interaction, an important topic for future research.

International migration, cross-cultural interaction, and the development of personal wisdom

Drawing on semi-structured in-depth interviews with Romanian immigrants in Ontario, Canada, conducted between 2014 and 2018, this article explores how the experiences acquired by the Romanian immigrants through migration and multicultural intercourse facilitate the development of personal wisdom. We show how our research participants perceived these geographical processes of migration and place-based multiethnic cohabitation to account for their growing wiser than their earlier selves. Specifically, we organize the description of these perceptions into three interrelated themes: (1) changes in perspective, (2) the learning of new things, and (3) the role of place in fostering wisdom. Against this background, the article also highlights the boundary conditions within which these processes may or may not foster the development of wisdom, acknowledging that not all migratory and multicultural experiences lead to prosocial and adaptive outcomes. Our discussion of these boundary conditions with the research participants coalesced into five recurrent themes: (1) adaptation to the new environment and social system, (2) the role of the host environment as a boundary condition, (3) the problem of unmet expectations, (4) the magnitude of the cultural shocks, and (5) the language barrier. Bearing the complex politics of these boundary conditions in mind, we argue that the experience of international migration and subsequent cross-cultural interaction can be usefully understood as a ‘fertile ground’ for the flourishing of personal wisdom, which itself can act as an individual and collective resource for cohabitation in multicultural settings.

On the Generalization of Intergroup Contact: A Taxonomy of Transfer Effects

The contact hypothesis proposes that bringing groups together under favorable conditions can improve intergroup relations. It is now well established that intergroup contact can improve attitudes not only toward the out-group as a whole but also toward other, noncontacted groups ( secondary transfer effect). We review evidence of a further, higher-order generalization effect whereby intergroup contact also impacts more general cognitive processes outside of the intergroup context (i.e., tertiary transfer effects). We present a taxonomy of transfer effects that explains these generalization effects as distinct outcomes of the contact process yet contingent on the same component process, specifically, the assessment of the semantic distance between the target (e.g., contacted individual) and the frame (e.g., group prototype). This conceptualization provides an explanatory framework for uniting the disparate forms of transfer effect in the contact literature, clarifying why primary and secondary transfer effects are facilitated by low semantic distance and why contact is more cognitively demanding under conditions of high semantic distance, but with greater potential for cognitive growth.