Intergroup prejudice is pervasive in many contexts worldwide, leading to discrimination and conflict. Existing research suggests that prejudice is acquired at an early age and that durably improving intergroup relations is extremely challenging, often requiring intense interventions. Building on existing research in social psychology and…

Background: Much has been done regarding the promotion of equality in rights in terms of legislation, but persons with disabilities remain marginalised in society. Negative attitudes and prejudice contribute towards numerous challenges for persons with disabilities. Objectives: This study investigated the level of empathy and prejudice of…

Heavy consumers of crime news are more likely to hold negative attitudes and stereotyped expectations of racial minorities. Attempts to reduce stereotyping with counterexemplars that portray racial minorities in a positive light have yielded mixed results. Do prior crime expectations or frequency of crime news exposure moderate the efficacy of…

This research study was designed to determine the effect of exposure to cultural-social-economic diversity on selected attitudes of elementary school teachers by investigating the effects on teacher tolerance and optimism of exposure to 1) the usual classroom situation and 2) an inservice training program. The research was conducted as a field…

The effect of group success and failure upon interpersonal attraction in cooperating interracial groups was investigated in a 2 * 2 * 2 factorially designed experiment. The level of participation in the group's decision making (high or low) and race (Black or White) served as the additional independent variables. 56 18-21 yr old White male Ss…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of listening to excerpts from children's stories about Mexican-Americans on children's attitudes toward Mexican-Americans, self-concepts, and interests. The sample consisted of 220 sixth-graders. Once weekly for six weeks, experimental groups heard excerpts about Mexican-Americans, while…

The emergence of an increasingly diverse student population and the mounting popularity of literature-based instruction have pressured associates in the field of education to design, implement, and evaluate a multicultural curriculum featuring literature. The realization that students entering kindergarten may hold stereotypes about people whom…

Predicted that intergroup attraction would most likely increase when Ss felt the environmental conditions interfered with successful cooperation as opposed to fostering a successful effort. Two groups of Ss (256 undergraduates) competed for extra credit and then cooperated to achieve a pre-determined performance level. In…

Discussion groups are a promising tool for bridging the divide between former conflict antagonists. However, such groups do not always produce the desired outcome of improved attitudes, even when they meet the conditions generally seen as favoring positive interaction. In this article, we examine specific discussion protocols that mitigate…

In this experiment, we examined the effect of perspective-taking—actively contemplating others’ psychological experiences—on linguistic intergroup bias. We asked some participants to adopt the perspective of a character (an Italian or a Maghrebian), while others did not receive similar instructions, and complete a short dialogue comprised of a…