Moral values bind communities together and foster cooperation, yet these same values can lead to the derogation and marginalization of outgroups. Five studies tested a theoretical framework proposing that preferentially endorsing moral values of sanctity versus care (the sanctity–care trade-off) produces a motivational bias whereby people…

Five experiments examine the interactive power of descriptive and injunctive norms regarding intergroup friendships on the effects of extended contact -- knowing ingroup members having outgroup friends -- on intergroup orientations. We propose that the positive effect of extended contact can occur even when the ingroup members having outgroup…

It was hypothesized that intergroup cooperation would increase intergroup attraction to the extent that previous group identities were erased. In the first phase of the present study, two groups of subjects either competed or acted interdependently. Members of the two groups either wore similar uniforms or different uniforms to distinguish the…

School integration, stimulated by the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, has influenced students' social and educational experiences. Drawing on practice and theory, we focus on strategies for improving intergroup relations. In a series of sessions over four-weeks, 830 first and second grade children participated in Green Circle program…

The current study investigates parasocial relationships as the underlying mechanism explaining prejudice reduction following extended exposure to mediated outgroups. Heterosexual participants viewed a fictional television series for 10 weeks depicting outgroup (gay) characters in which the outgroup attribute (sexuality) was accentuated or…

The effects on the development of interpersonal attraction of group outcome, race, and helping a less competent member of a cooperating interracial group were investigated in a 3 × 3 × 2 factorially designed experiment. The level of competence of group members was also varied. The Ss, who were White military servicemen from small towns and…

Three experiments integrated several theories in psychology and sociology to identify the conditions under which multiculturalism has positive versus negative effects on majority group members' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward ethnic minorities. On the basis of social cognitive construal theories, we predicted and found that…

Encounter with outgroup has been shown to elicit physiological stress response and when outgroup is perceived as threatening to one's own family and community, stress is higher. In such contexts, becoming familiar and learning to empathize with the other side may reduce stress. Building on the long-lasting Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we…

Research has shown that not only are minority groups capable of possessing implicit and explicit prejudice but that the study of their attitudes provides unique insight into the nature of prejudice. The current study found that in an Australian context, Asian participants displayed significantly less implicit prejudice and significantly greater…

Part of the goal of the International Paralympic Committee is to “touch the heart of all people for a more equitable society” by exposing people to adaptive sports, with the goal of improving public views toward people with disabilities. The authors hypothesized that exposure to parasocial contact with images of athletes with disabilities could…