General outgroup knowledge is weak, but individuating knowledge reduces bias

Evidence

“Learning about the outgroup” was originally considered to be a key process involved in reducing prejudice, because general knowledge about the outgroup as a whole was thought to counteract ignorance, and thus undermine stereotypes. Although meta-analytic findings (see Pettigrew & Tropp, ch. 16 this volume) reveal that increasing knowledge about the outgroup has some effect, it is not a primary mechanism by which contact changes intergroup attitudes. Nevertheless, other types of information, such as the acquisition of knowledge about unique attributes of specific individuals that distinguishes them from other group members, has been found to effectively reduce ingroup bias (e.g., Miller, Kenworthy, Stenstrom, & Canales, in press) by helping to disconfirm stereotypes about the outgroup. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1826

Categorization

• XREF: Directly qualifies a core contact-theory assumption in the vault — knowledge-based approaches are downgraded in favor of individuation.