Multicultural Perspective
– Lecture 9: Improving Intergroup Relations –
Content
Contact Hypothesis .................................................................................................................... 2
Responsible Processes ............................................................................................................ 2
Common Ingroup Identity Model .............................................................................................. 3
Differences Between Effects on Minority and Majority Groups ............................................... 5
Desire to talk about power in the lab ...................................................................................... 6
Social Identity Threat ......................................................................................................... 7
How to Motivate Social Change? ............................................................................................... 7
Illegitimizing Inequalities ...................................................................................................... 7
Irony of Harmony ................................................................................................................... 8
Social Change vs. Social Mobility ......................................................................................... 9
, Intergroup Relations Lecture 9: Improving Intergroup Relations
Contact Hypothesis
Prerequisites:
- Equal status
- Shared/Common goal
- Collaboration towards that goal
- Support from authority
- ‘Reach below the surface’
Meta-Analysis: Contact → (-.21) → prejudice
➔ Positive, constructive contact instead of causal, negative contact (Good news: most
people of the majority group report more positive contact than negative) → Disproves
stereotype, develop intergroup friendships
➔ Reduces insecurity and anxiety
➔ This works as well with indirect contact (e.g. imagined contact, extended contact)
o Extended contact: Knowing that members of the ingroup have friendships with
outgroup members
Responsible Processes
1) Knowledge about outgroup → Familiarity
2) Behavioural change (behavioural repertoire extends)
3) (Positive) Affective reactions → Empathy
4) Revaluation of the ingroup (Deprovincialization)
➔ Ingroup isn’t the only/most important group but there are also others
2