Mere exposure to outgroup members reduces prejudice even without optimal conditions.

Evidence

Whereas intergroup contact theory has traditionally held that Allport’s optimal conditions are essential, we propose that Allport’s conditions facilitate contact’s reduction of intergroup prejudice. Social psychology has shown repeatedly that greater exposure to targets can, in and of itself, significantly enhance liking for those targets (Bornstein, 1989; Harmon-Jones & Allen, 2001; Lee, 2001; Zajonc, 1968; see also Homans, 1950). Moreover, studies with social targets have shown that the enhanced liking that results from exposure can generalize to greater liking for other related, yet previously unknown, social targets (Rhodes, Halberstadt, & Brajkovich, 2001). Applying this work to intergroup contact research, the mere exposure perspective suggests that, all things being equal, greater contact and familiarity with members of other groups should enhance liking for those groups. Thus, in the present analysis, we test whether intergroup contact is associated with less prejudice even when Allport’s conditions are not established in the contact situation, as well as whether these conditions significantly enhance the degree to which contact promotes positive intergroup outcomes. — Thomas F. Pettigrew, Linda R. Tropp, A Meta-Analytic Test of Intergroup…, 32

Categorization

• QUESTION: The magnitude of the mere-exposure effect without optimal conditions versus with them is the empirical crux — worth checking the reported effect sizes that follow.
• XREF: Zajonc’s mere exposure effect and Homans’ exchange theory both anchor this claim; connects to the broader social psychology literature on familiarity and liking. — connects to: Intergroup contact reduces prejudice across outgroups, and Allport’s conditions are helpful but not essential. — Thomas F. Pettigrew, Linda R. Tropp, A Meta-Analytic Test of Intergroup…, 3; Even under apartheid and segregation, intergroup contact reduced prejudice. — Thomas F. Pettigrew, Linda R. Tropp, A Meta-Analytic Test of Intergroup…, 227
• recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source

Related

• Intergroup contact reduces prejudice across outgroups, and Allport’s conditions are helpful but not essential. (similarity 0.90)
• Allport’s optimal contact conditions enhance but are not necessary for reducing prejudice. (similarity 0.88)
• Intergroup contact reduces prejudice even beyond the groups involved. (similarity 0.88)
• Allport’s optimal contact conditions facilitate but are not necessary for prejudice reduction (similarity 0.87)
• Most prejudice-reducing contact occurs outside Allport’s presumed optimal conditions. (similarity 0.86)
• Allport’s optimal contact conditions are facilitating rather than essential (similarity 0.86)
• Intergroup contact reduces prejudice more strongly than prejudice drives avoidance of contact (similarity 0.84)
• Intergroup contact reduces prejudice only under four specific optimal conditions. (similarity 0.84)
• Intergroup contact is an established general mechanism for reducing prejudice across group types. (similarity 0.83)
• Knowing that ingroup friends interact with outgroup members reduces prejudice without any direct contact. (similarity 0.83)
• Casual tourism contact reduces prejudice far less than structured or recreational contact (similarity 0.83)
• Even under apartheid and segregation, intergroup contact reduced prejudice. (similarity 0.83)
• Face-to-face contact with out-group individuals can improve attitudes toward the whole group. (similarity 0.83)
• Contact’s prejudice-reducing effect is causal, not a selection or publication artifact. (similarity 0.83)
• Intergroup contact research has expanded beyond prejudice to test trust, forgiveness, and ingroup perception. (similarity 0.83)