16. Intergroup contact

Question 1

What is the contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 1

Interaction between individuals belonging to a different social group will help reduce prejudice and tension

Question 2

What did Hewstone (2003) believe contact changed? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 2

• Attitudes toward the out-group
• Variability within one group
• Increased forgiveness from past misdeeds
• Decreased anxiety

Question 3

What did Allport (1954) believe was necessary for prejudice to decrease in regards to the contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 3

• Equal status
• Pursuit of common goals
• Working cooperatively

Question 4

What did Cook (1978) believe in regards to the contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 4

The out-group members should disconfirm stereotypes and high acquaintance potential

Question 5

What are the flaws of contact hypothesis? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 5

• Overly specific (lost explanatory power)

- Many conditions are facilitating, rather than essential

Question 6

What are the three main limitations of contact hypothesis outlined by Hewstone & Brown (1986)? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 6

• Assumption that greater knowledge reduces prejudice
• Interpersonal vs. intergroup contact
• Generalisation of attitude change

Question 7

What is meant by the limitation of: assumption that greater knowledge reduces prejudice? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 7

Intergroup hostility may be caused by factors other than ignorance

Question 8

What is meant by the limitation of: interpersonal vs. intergroup contact? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 8

• Similarities between groups encourage discrimination in oder to preserve distinctiveness
• Similarities attract an interpersonal relationship but not an intergroup relationship

Question 9

What is meant by the limitation of: generalisation of attitudes? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 9

• Positive attitudes to out-group may not extend to other settings
• P’s should be seen as representative of their group, not as an exception to the rule

Question 10

What three ways could allow for a differentiated view of a group? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 10

• Decategorisation
• Mutual in-group differentiation
• Recategorisation

Question 11

What is decategorisation? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 11

• Replacing category basis with interpersonal relations

- Personalisation should reduce the importance of the group membership

Question 12

What is mutual in-group differentiation? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 12

• Avoid depriving groups of their valued social identities

- Stereotype groups positively rather than negatively

Question 13

What is recategorisation? (Intergroup Social)

Answer 13

Introducing a superordinate category where a new social group improves the attitude toward former out-group members