Changing Children’s Intergroup Attitudes Toward Refugees: Testing Different Models of Extended Contact

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Full Citation

Cameron, L., Rutland, A., Brown, R., & Douch, R. (2006). Changing Children’s Intergroup Attitudes Toward Refugees: Testing Different Models of Extended Contact. Child Development, 77(5), 1208-1219

What diversity/subjectivity topics are they discussing?

models for changing the attitudes of 5-11 year old children regarding refugees

Your summary or comments on the article

This is an interesting and thought-provoking paper about a topic I don’t often see in the literature. The study showed that an intervention could be introduced successfully in a school setting and effectively reduce prejudice towards refugees.

Abstract

The present research evaluated an intervention, derived from the “extended contact hypothesis,” which aimed to change children’s intergroup attitudes towards refugees. The study (n=253) tested 3 models of extended contact among 5-11-year-old children: dual identity, common ingroup identity, and decategorization. Children read friendship stories based upon these models featuring in- and outgroup members. Outgoup attitudes were significantly more positive in the extended contact conditions, compared with the control, and this was mediated by “inclusion of other in self.” The dual idtneity intervention was the most effective extended contact model at improving outgroup attitudes. The effect of condition on outgroup intended behavior was moderated by subgroup identity. Implications for theoretically based prejudice-reduction interventions among children are discussed.

Resource contributed by:

Tom Holman