PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology - Social and Theoretical

Psychology - Social and Theoretical

Summary Article 1

Turner & Crisp (2010) investigation has revealed that imagining intergroup contact can be sufficient to reduce explicit prejudice directed towards out-groups. In this article, Turner & Crisp (2010) examined the impact of contact-related mental imagery on implicit prejudice as measured by the implicit association test. They found that, relative to a control condition, young participants who imagined talking to an elderly stranger subsequently showed more positive implicit attitudes towards elderly people in general. In their earlier study, Turner & Crisp (2010) demonstrated that, relative to a control condition, non-Muslim participants who imagined talking to a Muslim stranger subsequently showed more positive implicit attitudes towards Muslims in general. Turner & Crisp discussed the implications of these findings for furthering the application of indirect contact strategies aimed at improving intergroup relations. (Turner & Crisp 2010, 129-142)

Despite their focus on extended contact, Turner & Crisp do not wish to underestimate the importance of direct forms of intergroup contact, constituting, as it does, direct experience with the attitude object (Turner & Crisp 2010, 129-142), which impacts on attitude strength (Turner & Crisp 2010, 129-142). Instead, Turner & Crisp believed that planned interventions should exploit the advantages of both direct and extended contact in parallel. Schemes that encourage cross-group friendship for example, through school exchanges and community groups should be encouraged. This will not only result in more positive outgroup attitudes among those who personally engage in contact but will also increase the likelihood that those who have no outgroup friends will learn about the friendships of others.

Finally, by improving outgroup attitudes through these processes, Turner & Crisp explained that extended contact might also prove a potent means of preparing participants for intergroup contact. Exposing people to extended contact prior to direct contact may prove to be a particularly powerful prescription to challenge pernicious prejudice.

Summary Article 2

In this article Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux (2005) deeply analysed that contact hypothesis proposes a close interaction between members of different groups reduces intergroup prejudice if and only if certain optimal conditions are present. According to Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux for many years, research using this framework has explored the boundary conditions for ideal contact and has guided interventions to promote desegregation. Although supporting the contact hypothesis in principle, Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux critique some research practices that have come to dominate the field: (a) the prioritizing of the study of interactions occurring under rarefied conditions, (b) the reformulation of lay understandings of contact in terms of a generic typology of ideal dimensions, and (c) the use of shifts in personal prejudice as the primary measure of outcome. Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux argue that these practices have limited the contact hypothesis both as an explanation of the intergroup dynamics of desegregation and as a framework for promoting social psychological change. In so arguing, Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux look toward a complementary program of research on contact and desegregation. (Dixon, Durrheim & Tredoux 2005, 697-711)

In this article, Dixon, Durrheim ...