Can imagined contact favor the “humanization” of the homeless? TPM–Testing, Psychometrics Author Rossella Falvo, Dora Capozza, Gian Di Bernardo, Ariela Pagani Publication Year 2015 Type Journal Article Abstract Research on imagined contact, a new prejudice-reduction strategy, has demonstrated its beneficial effects on several aspects of intergroup relations. Emerging evidence has shown that this form of contact can positively affect humanness perceptions. The present study examined imagined contact as a means to improve humanity attributions to the homeless ‚Äï a stigmatized group strongly dehumanized. Participants (university students) were asked to imagine either a positive interaction with a homeless person or a control scene. Humanity attributions were assessed by using uniquely human (e.g., rationality) and non-uniquely human (e.g., impulsiveness) traits. As expected, after the mentally-simulated encounter, the homeless were perceived as more clearly characterized by uniquely human features. Practical implications of findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) Keywords humanization, imagined contact, homelessness, tolerance Journal Methodology in Applied Psychology Volume 22 Pages 23–30 Type of Article Journal Article URL External link to reference DOI 10.4473/TPM22.1.2 Full text Open access via the link provided. Type of Prejudice/Bias Income/Socioeconomic Status Country Italy Method Lab Setting College/University Google ScholarDOIBibTeX