Journal of language and social psychology the contact. In criminology, psychology, and sociology, the contact hypothesis has been described as one of the best ways to improve relations among groups that are experiencing conflict. This video is about the contact hypothesis see allport, 1954. In the present world, it is this recognition of the benefits of contact that drives modern school exchanges and crossgroup buddy schemes. Jan 11, 2011 this video is about the contact hypothesis see allport, 1954. Allport 1954 proposes that contact between diverse groups can act as an effective remedy against issues such as racism, prejudice, and discrimination. The four conditions outlined by allport are that members of the two groups involved in the intergroup contact must experience. For example, some people say that it doesnt consider a persons status or their temporary behavior. Pettigrew and kerstin hammann selected, as the books most lasting contribution, its success in redefining the relation between intergroup contact and prejudice. Scholarship linking intergroup contact and con ict behavior continues to draw heavily from the social contact hypothesis, initially outlined in gordon allports the nature of prejudice 1954. On the nature of prejudice commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of gordon allports classic work on prejudice and discrimination by examining the current state of knowledge in the field. Varied research supports the hypothesis, but four problems remain.
A selection bias limits crosssectional studies, since prejudiced people avoid intergroup contact. Allports 1954 contact hypothesis proposed that intergroup contact is a powerful means for improving intergroup attitudes. The use of intergroup contact theory in sfd stems from the work of allports 1954 contact hypothesis. The book was written by gordon allport in the early 1950s and first published by addisonwesley in 1954. Contact is of utmost importance in reducing prejudice and promoting a more tolerant and integrated society and as such is a prime example of the real life applications that psychology can offer the world. Allport 1954 also says there are eight different areas of contact, causal, residential, occupational, recreational, religious, civic and fraternal, political, and goodwill intergroup activities. In fact, he published very little research to support his theory. Gordon allports contact hypothesis has been greatly advanced over the decades into what is now called contact theory. Personality theories gordon allport theory one thing that motivates human beings is the tendency to satisfy biological survival needs, which allport referred to as opportunistic functioning. A and the jim crow laws, gordon allport 1954 proposed one of the most important social psychological events of the 20th century, suggesting that contact between members of different groups under certain conditions can work to reduce prejudice and intergroup conflict. He relied on statistical data rather than on his personal experience.
Its just never been enough of a societal priority to actually implement it the way it would be required to make it. Allport 1954 says that both state and federal legislation can be used to pass antidiscrimination laws and have public agencies enforce these laws. Allport 1954 proposes that contact between diverse groups can act. Popularized by scholars like allport 1954 and pettigrew 1998, this theory explains how prejudice between groups of people can decrease through collaborative, interdependent activities. Allports trait theory of personality isnt directly based on empirical research, and this is its biggest achilles heel. One of the leading theories advocated for reducing intergroup conflict is the contact hypothesis.
Allport s original conditions for optimal contact equal status, common goals, no intergroup competition, and authority sanction facilitate the effect but are not. According to this theory, contact under certain conditions, such as equal status, cooperation towards a superordinate goal, and institutional support, will create a positive intergroup encounter, which, in turn, will bring about an improvement in intergroup relations. Pettigrew and tropp 2006 did a metaanalysis of over 500 studies and 7 independent samples that tested the intergroup contact theory. Allports trait theory of personality exploring your mind. Mar 31, 2020 gordon allport was a pioneering psychologist often referred to as one of the founders of personality psychology. Although sit is a theory of intergroup dynamics with foundations in intergroup conflict campbell, 1965. The authors of this paper suggest conditions identified in gordon allport s contact theory may be used as a theoretical base in interprofessional education to positively impact attitudinal change of students towards working as an interprofessional team member. Stereotypes on intergroup contact socialization, racial.
Allports intergroup contact theory as a theoretical base for. The contact hypothesis the intergroup contact hypothesis was first proposed by allport 1954, who suggested. The contact hypothesis the intergroup contact hypothesis was first proposed by allport 1954, who suggested that positive effects of intergroup contact occur in contact situations characterized by four key conditions. But please understand that allports scheme is not a stage theory just a description of the usual way people develop.
A metaanalytic test of intergroup contact theory thomas f. In the years prior to allports framing of intergroup contact theory, social scientists had already begun discussing the conditions of intergroup contact that would produce intergroup anxiety, prejudice, or other detrimental psychological effects. Theories and studies about reducing racial prejudice. Allport explored ways to reduce intergroup conflict and negative stereotypes. Asian americans and african americans occupy different status positions on the u. Why, do you think, this field of intercultural communication advocates contact between different cultural groups. Developed in the 1950s by gordon allport, phd, the theory holds that contact between two groups can promote tolerance and acceptance, but only under certain conditions, such as equal status among groups and common goals. In addition to providing a useful commonsense framework for contact theory, allports criteria provided useful guideposts for researchers hoping to test practical interventions geared at reducing prejudice an area of great concern to researchers in the postwar years, which coincided with the start of the civilrights movement. In the years since allports initial intergroup contact hypothesis, much research has been devoted to expanding and exploring his contact hypothesis.
Subsequent theory and research has developed this hypothesis into a fullblown theory that makes precise predictions about the effects of different types of contact on mainly attitudinal outcomes, and how and. The premise of allport s theory states that under appropriate conditions interpersonal contact is one of the most effective ways to reduce prejudice between majority and minority group members. Their findings showed that intergroup contact does decrease intergroup prejudice. Contact hypothesis an overview sciencedirect topics. Lecture fifteen intergroup contact theory, contact hypothesis. At a time when behaviorism held sway in psychology departments in the u. This article outlines a taxonomy of games, called team games, which. In 1954, allport proposed the intergroup contact hypothesis, which states that intergroup contact would help promote positive intergroup relations by reducing prejudice, if they occur under the right conditions. He noted that opportunistic functioning can be characterized. Does having a political discussion help or hurt intergroup. The purpose of this study is to test gordon allports theory of contact hypothesis about cultural attitude change in college students.
Recent advances in intergroup contact theory sciencedirect. Gordon allports contact hypothesis facing history and. The seeds of intergroup contact theory theorists and practitioners began to speculate about the effects of intergroup contact long before there was a research base to guide them. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Abstract allport specified four conditions for optimal intergroup contact. As the starting quote of this chapter indicates, allport was well aware that intergroup contact not always reduces prejudice. An introduction to gordon allports the nature of prejudice. Pdf the nature of prejudice download full pdf book. Intergroup contact theory and disability 4 related to disability and contact theory, followed by hypotheses, a section on data and methods, my findings, and ending with conclusions that can be drawn from this research. The pioneering social psychologist gordon allport hypothesized that intergroup contact lessens bias when it happens under four conditions. According to allport, properly managed contact should reduce issues of stereotyping, prejudice.
Contact theory has described a variety of ways in which contact between groups can reduce prejudice and. Allports intergroup contact hypothesis allport 1954 held that positive effects of intergroup contact occur only in situations marked by four key conditions. Analysis of intergroup contact effects has allport been suppo. A and the jim crow laws, gordon allport 1954 proposed one of the most important social psychological events of the 20th century, suggesting that contact between members of different groups under certain conditions can work to reduce. The premise of allports hypothesis states that under appropriate conditions interpersonal contact could be one of the most effective ways to reduce prejudice between majority and minority group members. Past, present, and future, authorjim a c everett and diana onu, year20 jim a c everett, diana onu published 20 in the midst of racial segregation in the u. Finally, we will summarize research demonstrating how intergroup contact theory. Intergroup contact theory posits that intergroup contact can help two rival groups to reduce the prejudice and discrimination effectively, especially under certain conditions such as intergroup. Indeed, the idea that contact between members of different groups can.
Traits or dispositions now, as the proprium is developing in this way, we are also developing personal traits, or personal dispositions. Pettigrew and tropp go on to say that the conditions are not independent but entwined with each other. Sep 21, 2018 however, allports trait theory of personality is considered pioneering work in the personality field. This article presents a new framework for understanding research on the intersection between language, communication, and intergroup contact. Individual, group, and collective interests gary bornstein department of psychology and center for the study of rationality the hebrew university of jerusalem intergroup conflicts generally involve conflicts of interests within the competing groups as well. A metaanalysis with 515 studies and more than 250,000 subjects demonstrates that intergroup contact typically reduces prejudice mean r 21. Allport can be considered as the originator of the intergroup contact theory in his famous and influential book the nature of prejudice, he summarized early research on intergroup contact. We also focus on undesirable, unintended effects of intergroup contact. Allport originally used the word traits, but found that so many people assumed. The contact hypothesis offers hope for the world science of us. We propose a communication analogue to allports 1954 contact hypothesis called the parasocial contact hypothesis pch. Pettigrew university of california, santa cruz linda r.
Gordon allport definition of gordon allport by medical. Assessing the effectiveness of gordon allports contact. Allport, immersed in his own culture, was taking for granted a particular assumption, which forms the basis of my book. Participants were college first year students participating in first year seminar classes in a small southeastern liberal arts university.
Effects of intergroup anxiety, and outgroup tolerance and. Gordon willard allport spent nearly his entire academic career at harvard, completing both his bachelors degree and his phd at the university, and serving as a faculty member from 1930 1967. Allports the nature of prejudice is one of the most influential works ever written in the field of psychology. Journal of language and social psychology the contact space. With 7 independent samples from 515 studies, the metaanalysis finds that intergroup contact typically reduces intergroup. It distinguishes between essential and facilitating factors, and emphasizes different outcomes for different stages of contact. Can social contact reduce prejudice and discrimination. Allport is often credited with the development of the contact hypothesis, also known as intergroup contact theory. Hypothesizing intergroup contact gordon allport posited that under certain conditions, intergroup contact can reduce intergroup prejudice. Tropp boston college the present article presents a metaanalytic test of intergroup contact theory. Beginning in 2000, pettigrew and tropp began publishing work together. However, in his first publication, he studied the central traits of 55 male college students with his brother, social psychologist floyd allport. Investigating the role of intergroup contact within an.
The quality of the contact has been shown to be a better predictor than contact quantity in producing positive results schwartz and simmons, 2001. The present chapter will introduce intergroup contact theory as one of the most prominent approaches to prejudice reduction within psychology e. Allports original conditions for optimal contact equal status, common goals, no intergroup competition, and authority. Allport explored ways to reduce intergroup conflict and negative stereotypes about other racial groups minority groups from the perspective. The seeds of intergroup contact theory developments since allport a meta. The backbone of conflict prevention lies in contact theory, a sociological phenomenon identified by gordon allport in the 1950s, which posits that positive contact between persons of opposing identities lowers prejudice between them under certain conditions. Intergroup contact theory is the idea that just being around people from different races, ethnicities, religions, and other cultural backgrounds reduces prejudice. Allports 1954 hypothesis has been used within the sport context. If people process massmediated parasocial interaction in a manner similar to interpersonal interaction, then the socially bene. In the second part, we will discuss when and how intergroup contact works. The sad hard truth is that, in schools, allport s theory remains just a theory. Investigating the role of intergroup contact within an inner. A longstanding line of research that aims to combat bias among conflicting groups springs from a theory called the contact hypothesis.
Subsequent research supports this hypothesis, and also demonstrates its applicability to many areas of study. A lot of people criticize allports trait theory of personality. The intergroup contact hypothesis was first proposed by allport 1954, who suggested that positive effects of intergroup contact occur in contact situations characterized by four key conditions. Intergroup contact theory allport, 1954 holds that positive effects can occur when two or more groups come into contact with one another under specific circumstances. Intergroup contact theory allport, 1954 posits that optimal intergroup contact, defined as contact between different groups under a series of specific optimal conditions, contributes to the reduction of prejudice. Allport specified four conditions for optimal intergroup contact.
Intergroup contact theory has been one of the most influential theories in social psychology since it was first formulated by gordon allport in 1954. In addition to providing a useful commonsense framework for contact theory, allports criteria provided useful guideposts for researchers hoping to test practical interventions geared at reducing prejudice an area of great concern to researchers in the postwar years, which coincided. He rejected two of the dominant schools of thought in psychology at the time, psychoanalysis and behaviorism, in favor of his own approach that stressed the importance of individual differences and situational variables. Allports 1954 intergroup contact theory suggested that when the groups in contact are perceived to have similar status, contact could lead to reduced prejudice and improved intergroup relations. This volume highlights, via a critical lens, the most notable recent developments in the field, demonstrating its vitality and its capacity for reinve. The application of the theory toward the improvement of intergroup relations has had the effect of concealing the fact that contact theory is fundamentally a prejudice theory and not a theory of intergroup relations. Allports intergroup contact theory as a theoretical base. Yet research finds that the positive effects of crossgroup.
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