Indirect programs improve intergroup relations without ever discussing prejudice explicitly

Evidence

Next, we discuss cooperative learning groups, a type of program that takes an indirect approach to improving intergroup. Indirect programs do not explicitly address prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination and they do not cover differences or similarities among racial and ethnic groups. The direct programs often employ didactic techniques, in which teachers dominate the interaction. By contrast, the indirect techniques were devised specifically to enact the contact principles set out by Allport: equal-status contact in the pursuit of common goals, positively sanctioned by the institution and leading to “the perception of common interests and common humanity between members of the two groups” (Allport, 1954/ 1979, p. 281). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2655

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader literature that structuring equal-status cooperation yields attitude change without didactic anti-prejudice content.