Development of Outgroup Contact in Social networks
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Experimental Psychology
Abstract
In today's often multicultural societies, children and adolescents frequently grow up in multi-ethnic, multicultural societies. Since people with immigrant background represent the minority in a new country, first and second generation immigrants need to make contact with and befriend outgroup members in order to participate in social life. Following their emigration, most host countries and migrants share the hope that these new migrants will establish a new social network by integrating into the foreign culture, rather than simply sticking together with fellow immigrants as sometimes happens. It is important to understand which factors drive individuals to develop close cross-group relationships.
Allport's (1954) contact hypothesis holds that direct, face-to-face contact between members of different groups has the potential to reduce prejudice. As intergroup prejudice can threaten the cohesion in multicultural societies, decreasing prejudice is a matter of great interest. Cross-group friendship, established as a key form of intergroup contact, represents a powerful strategy to overcome group-based prejudice (Davies et al., 2011; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). However, more research is needed in order to fully understand the development of cross-group friendships now that there are increasing opportunities for cross-group interactions that could improve intergroup attitudes (see Pettigrew &
Tropp, 2006, for an overview). My doctoral research project aims to deepen our understanding of the process variables that drive immigrant children and adolescents to befriend native peers and vice versa. My research will also investigate the time it takes for cross-group friendships to evolve after initial contact between ingroup and outgroup members, given evidence that initial interactions may be rather difficult, and that the positive benefits of diversity may only be evident in the course of time (see, e.g., MacInnis & Page-Gould, 2015; Putnam, 2007). Consequently, it is important to understand how initial and subsequent intergroup interactions are related to regard to cross-group friendships. Eventually, insights obtained from this approach will help to develop interventions aimed at facilitating positive intergroup relations. Therefore, the first part of the proposed research project attempts to explore supporting factors of cross-group friendships. The second part intends to specify at what point intergroup interactions actually lead to cross-group friendships as a special form of intergroup contact. I have outlined a research project designed to advance our understanding of what leads outgroup and ingroup members to befriend each other and when intergroup interactions actually lead to cross-group friendships. I seek to expand the contact hypothesis from a social-psychological perspective by studying the development of intergroup contact about which we understand, in fact, relatively little so far. The suggested project aspires to enhance the ecological validity of current intergroup research. It is also aimed at contributing significantly to the development of research-based interventions for improving intergroup relations to guarantee a peaceful coexistence of different cultures and ethnicities. If successful, this project will afford an understanding of intergroup relations from a
developmental perspective in increasingly complex and multi-ethnic societies.
Allport's (1954) contact hypothesis holds that direct, face-to-face contact between members of different groups has the potential to reduce prejudice. As intergroup prejudice can threaten the cohesion in multicultural societies, decreasing prejudice is a matter of great interest. Cross-group friendship, established as a key form of intergroup contact, represents a powerful strategy to overcome group-based prejudice (Davies et al., 2011; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). However, more research is needed in order to fully understand the development of cross-group friendships now that there are increasing opportunities for cross-group interactions that could improve intergroup attitudes (see Pettigrew &
Tropp, 2006, for an overview). My doctoral research project aims to deepen our understanding of the process variables that drive immigrant children and adolescents to befriend native peers and vice versa. My research will also investigate the time it takes for cross-group friendships to evolve after initial contact between ingroup and outgroup members, given evidence that initial interactions may be rather difficult, and that the positive benefits of diversity may only be evident in the course of time (see, e.g., MacInnis & Page-Gould, 2015; Putnam, 2007). Consequently, it is important to understand how initial and subsequent intergroup interactions are related to regard to cross-group friendships. Eventually, insights obtained from this approach will help to develop interventions aimed at facilitating positive intergroup relations. Therefore, the first part of the proposed research project attempts to explore supporting factors of cross-group friendships. The second part intends to specify at what point intergroup interactions actually lead to cross-group friendships as a special form of intergroup contact. I have outlined a research project designed to advance our understanding of what leads outgroup and ingroup members to befriend each other and when intergroup interactions actually lead to cross-group friendships. I seek to expand the contact hypothesis from a social-psychological perspective by studying the development of intergroup contact about which we understand, in fact, relatively little so far. The suggested project aspires to enhance the ecological validity of current intergroup research. It is also aimed at contributing significantly to the development of research-based interventions for improving intergroup relations to guarantee a peaceful coexistence of different cultures and ethnicities. If successful, this project will afford an understanding of intergroup relations from a
developmental perspective in increasingly complex and multi-ethnic societies.
Organisations
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/P000649/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 1925428 | Studentship | ES/P000649/1 | 01/10/2017 | 02/03/2021 | Miriam Pfister |
| Description | Although intergroup contact is an effective means to improve intergroup attitudes, it does not always have a positive impact on them. A part of this doctoral research introduces contact capacity - as the maximum extent to which an individual is cognitively and socially able to adequately manage and maintain relationships with other people - as a factor that may impede intergroup contact. The effect of contact capacity is robust while controlling for intergroup attitudes. This is of special importance for the given study because it highlights that, independent of how positive intergroup attitudes are, or indeed how positive intergroup contact is (whether it is measured or manipulated), intergroup interactions may not reach their potential if the contact capacity of an individual is already saturated. Our study extends previous literature by addressing a gap in intergroup contact research: The present study considers the impact of contact capacity as a factor that influences the formation of future in and, of particular relevance for intergroup contact, out-group contact in a negative way. Thus, it provides us with a better understanding of why some people take up existing intergroup contact possibilities and others do not: Not only limited time to engage in new contact but also limited cognitive resources can serve as an explanation why intergroup contact opportunities can sometimes translate into meaningful contact and sometimes not. A saturated social network can prevent individuals from engaging in further contact situations with members of both out-group (and in-group) as these situations can be associated with cognitive load. Even though we were not able to show an effect of contact capacity in 3 of 12 country-specific submodels, the effect in each of these three cases goes in the predicted direction, with nonsignificant negative associations between contact capacity and future outgroup (and in-group) contact. |
| Exploitation Route | Comparing the results for future out-group (and in-group) contact between the majority and minority, we find that the negative effect of contact capacity on future out-group (and in-group) contact is higher for minority members. This interesting finding deserves further research to determine the reasons for the decline, considering that it can impact minorities' integration into the host country and the establishment of a functioning social structure at the same time. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |