Reducing prejudice via indirect intergroup contact

The proposed program of research will integrate and extend research on three aspects of intergroup contact direct, extended and imagined contact, by developing powerful indirect contact interventions which can change intergroup attitudes and behaviour.
First, different indirect contact interventions will be piloted and tested in order to develop extended and imagined contact tasks which are particularly effective at reducing prejudice, and which have a long lasting impact.
Second, the processes that mediate and moderate the effect of these interventions on outgroup attitudes will be examined, in order to identify how extended and imagined contact can be differentiated from one another, and when each will be maximally effective.
Finally, a potential practical application of indirect contact will be investigated; the idea that it can help to prepare people for face-to-face intergroup encounters, producing more positive and successful intergroup contact which results in further positive attitude change.

本研究计划将针对群际接触（intergroup contact）的三大分支——直接群际接触、扩展群际接触与想象群际接触开展整合与拓展研究，通过开发可有效改变群际态度与行为的强效间接群际接触干预方案。
其一，本研究将对多款不同的间接群际接触干预方案进行试点与验证，以开发出在减少偏见方面效果尤为显著且具备长效影响力的扩展群际接触与想象群际接触任务范式。
其二，本研究将探究这些干预方案对外群体（outgroup）态度产生影响的中介与调节机制，以厘清扩展群际接触与想象群际接触之间的差异，并明确二者各自发挥最佳效果的适用场景。
其三，本研究还将探究间接群际接触的潜在实践应用场景，即这类干预可帮助人们为面对面群际互动做好准备，促成更积极且成效更佳的群际接触，进而推动态度实现进一步的正向转变。