Can (elaborated) imagined contact interventions reduce prejudice among those higher in intergroup disgust sensitivity (ITG-DS)? Author Gordon Hodson, Blaire Dube, Becky Choma Publication Year 2015 Type Journal Article Abstract Intergroup disgust sensitivity (ITG‐DS) reflects an affect‐laden revulsion toward out‐groups. Previous attempts to weaken its prediction of prejudice have failed. Given that clinical approaches to disgust sensitivity successfully utilize mental imagery, we consider contact simulation interventions. Participants were randomly assigned to control, standard imagined contact, or an elaborated contact condition (elaborated imagined contact [EIC]; detailed imagination involving physical contact with a homeless person, with relaxation instructions). Both contact conditions (vs. control) significantly weakened the link between ITG‐DS and prejudice, yet only EIC weakened the relation between ITG‐DS and out‐group trust. Mediated moderation analysis confirmed that EIC significantly attenuated the link between ITG‐DS and prejudice through increasing trust. Clinically relevant treatments are thus valuable in severing the association between (a) ITG‐DS and (b) lower out‐group trust and greater out‐group prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) Keywords intergroup disgust sensitivity, homelessness Journal Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume 45 Pages 123–131 Type of Article Journal Article DOI 10.1111/jasp.12281 Full text The following is an excerpt of the intervention methodology. For more information, please see the full text of the article on the publisher's website or through your institution's library. Participants Undergraduates at a Canadian university (N = 64; 52 women; Mage = 19.63; SD = 2.06) participated [...]. Procedure Participants sat in comfortable chairs in a dimly lit room, closing their eyes during the simulation. White noise masked outside noises and distractions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (control n = 20; IC n = 23; EIC n = 21). Control Participants were presented with the following instructions: [Verbal Stimulus A]. Imagined contact Participants were presented with the following instructions: [Verbal Stimulus B]. Elaborated imagined contact Participants were presented with detailed instructions (see Appendix) involving a mental simulation of contact with a homeless person that emphasized physical contact (thumb wrestling), cooperation, trust-building exercises (e.g., deliberately falling into a partner’s arms), positive outcomes (e.g., laughing/smiling, task success), and deep breathing with relaxation. Participants wrote down simulation details for 1 minute before completing the questionnaire measures. Materials Trust toward the homeless Trust of the homeless was measured using a 4-item scale. [...] Responses ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) [...]. Intergroup anxiety toward the homeless Ten items assessed feeling uncomfortable, awkward, etc., if interacting with homeless people [...]. Attitude toward the homeless An attitude thermometer evaluated the homeless on a scale ranging from 0 to 100; higher scores reflect more favorable attitudes. (General) disgust sensitivity The 25-item Disgust-Scale-Revised tapped disgust sensitivity across multiple (non-intergroup) domains on 4-point scales [...], included to serve as a covariate to isolate the intergroup aspects most relevant to the present research question. Intergroup disgust sensitivity The 8-item ITG-DS scale was rated on 7-point anchors. [...] Country Canada Method Lab Setting College/University Google ScholarDOIBibTeX
