Research has shown that vicarious contact, that is observing an interaction between ingroup and outgroup members, can improve intergroup relations. Although vicarious contact has been operationalized in different ways, mainly via story reading or video watching, an experimental comparison of these different strategies is still missing. We conducted a school intervention with the aim of comparing the two most used forms of vicarious contact, namely story reading and video watching. Elementary schoolchildren without disabilities (N = 292) were assigned to one of three different conditions: reading a story; watching a video; control. In the two vicarious contact conditions, participants read or watched the story of a child with disability becoming friends with children without disabilities; in the control condition, participants only completed the dependent measures. Results revealed that, in general, both vicarious contact conditions were equally effective in improving outgroup attitudes and behavioural intentions. In addition, they operated with the same strength through the same underlying processes (IOS, ingroup norms). We discuss theoretical and practical implications in the context of vicarious contact as a prejudice‐reduction intervention.

Research has shown that vicarious contact, that is observing an interaction between ingroup and outgroup members, can improve intergroup relations. Although vicarious contact has been operationalized in different ways, mainly via story reading or video watching, an experimental comparison of these different strategies is still missing. We conducted a school intervention with the aim of comparing the two most used forms of vicarious contact, namely story reading and video watching. Elementary schoolchildren without disabilities (N = 292) were assigned to one of three different conditions: reading a story; watching a video; control. In the two vicarious contact conditions, participants read or watched the story of a child with disability becoming friends with children without disabilities; in the control condition, participants only completed the dependent measures. Results revealed that, in general, both vicarious contact conditions were equally effective in improving outgroup attitudes and behavioural intentions. In addition, they operated with the same strength through the same underlying processes (IOS, ingroup norms). We discuss theoretical and practical implications in the context of vicarious contact as a prejudice-reduction intervention.

Comparing story reading and video watching as two distinct forms of vicarious contact: An experimental intervention among elementary school children / Cocco, Veronica Margherita; Bisagno, Elisa; Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio; Cadamuro, Alessia; Riboldi, Sara Debora; Crapolicchio, Eleonora; Trifiletti, Elena; Vezzali, Loris. - In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 0144-6665. - 60:1(2021), pp. 74-94. [10.1111/bjso.12404]

Comparing story reading and video watching as two distinct forms of vicarious contact: An experimental intervention among elementary school children

Bisagno, Elisa;Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio;Cadamuro, Alessia;Vezzali, Loris
2021

Abstract

Research has shown that vicarious contact, that is observing an interaction between ingroup and outgroup members, can improve intergroup relations. Although vicarious contact has been operationalized in different ways, mainly via story reading or video watching, an experimental comparison of these different strategies is still missing. We conducted a school intervention with the aim of comparing the two most used forms of vicarious contact, namely story reading and video watching. Elementary schoolchildren without disabilities (N = 292) were assigned to one of three different conditions: reading a story; watching a video; control. In the two vicarious contact conditions, participants read or watched the story of a child with disability becoming friends with children without disabilities; in the control condition, participants only completed the dependent measures. Results revealed that, in general, both vicarious contact conditions were equally effective in improving outgroup attitudes and behavioural intentions. In addition, they operated with the same strength through the same underlying processes (IOS, ingroup norms). We discuss theoretical and practical implications in the context of vicarious contact as a prejudice-reduction intervention.
2021
17-lug-2020
60
1
74
94
Comparing story reading and video watching as two distinct forms of vicarious contact: An experimental intervention among elementary school children / Cocco, Veronica Margherita; Bisagno, Elisa; Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio; Cadamuro, Alessia; Riboldi, Sara Debora; Crapolicchio, Eleonora; Trifiletti, Elena; Vezzali, Loris. - In: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. - ISSN 0144-6665. - 60:1(2021), pp. 74-94. [10.1111/bjso.12404]
Cocco, Veronica Margherita; Bisagno, Elisa; Di Bernardo, Gian Antonio; Cadamuro, Alessia; Riboldi, Sara Debora; Crapolicchio, Eleonora; Trifiletti, El...espandi
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