Self-disclosure reduces prejudice by trading rarer, higher-value information

Evidence

Although there is evidence that changes in cognitions are an important mechanism by which contact improves attitudes toward other groups, other processes, such as those related to affect and emotion, may also operate. For instance, self-disclosure might decrease prejudice by increasing familiarity, thereby reducing the threat often associated with intergroup contact. Self-disclosure may also improve intergroup relations because the disclosed information is rarer, and therefore has higher subjective value than less intimate, and more common, information (Petty & Mirels, 1981), making the exchange more rewarding for the individuals involved in the contact because it implies a trust that is shared usually only with friends. — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1828

Categorization

• XREF: Illustrates a concrete mechanism by which contact reduces threat — a candidate upgrade to the vault’s claim that contact works through familiarity/knowledge change.