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When the direct route is blocked: The extended contact pathway to improving intergroup relations

Eller, Anja, Abrams, Dominic, Gomez, Angel (2012) When the direct route is blocked: The extended contact pathway to improving intergroup relations. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 36 (5). pp. 637-646. ISSN 0147-1767. (doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2012.03.005) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:35778)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2012.03.005

Abstract

Direct intergroup contact can be described as the “royal road” to reducing prejudice and intergroup conflict. Although direct contact with an outgroup member may be limited, a promising alternative route is that of extended (indirect) contact. According to extended contact theory, awareness that ingroup members have outgroup friends can improve people's relations with the outgroup. A key issue that has not been addressed is how the amount of direct and extended contact interact to affect intergroup relations. Three field-based studies demonstrated that when direct contact is low, higher levels of extended contact predict lower prejudice and higher voluntary engagement with outgroup culture, both cross-sectionally (Studies 1 and 2) and longitudinally (Study 3). However, when direct contact is high, extended contact does not affect intergroup relations. These findings show that only when there is limited opportunity for direct contact, awareness of larger numbers of ingroup-outgroup friendships can be very effective for improving intergroup relations.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2012.03.005
Uncontrolled keywords: intergroup relations, ingroup outgroup, prejudice, intergroup conflict, social psychology
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Psychology
Depositing User: M.L. Barnoux
Date Deposited: 29 Oct 2013 15:47 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:12 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/35778 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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