Effects of Direct and Indirect Cross-Group Friendships on Judgments of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland: The Mediating Role of an Anxiety-Reduction Mechanism

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that both direct and indirect friendship with outgroup members (knowledge of ingroup members' friendship with outgroup members) can reduce prejudice toward the outgroup. Two surveys of cross-community relationships in Northern Ireland, using a student sample (N = 341) and a representative sample of the general population (N = 735), tested whether (a) direct and indirect friendships had generalized effects on both prejudice and perceived outgroup variability and (b) reduced anxiety about future encounters with outgroup members mediated such relationships. Structural equation modeling confirmed that, in both samples, direct and indirect cross-group friendships between Catholics and Protestants were associated with reduced prejudice toward the religious outgroup and increased perceived outgroup variability, via an anxiety-reduction mechanism. It is argued that emerging generalization hypotheses help to integrate both cognition and affect and interpersonal and intergroup approaches to contact.

Identity and Deprovincialization: Identity Complexity and Inclusiveness Encourage EU-Wide Behavioural Intentions via Reduced Intergroup Concerns and Increased Optimism

“…These findings resemble Velasco González, Verkuyten, Weesie, and Poppe's (2008) showing that perceived Muslim threat mediate the relation between multi-ethnic sentiments and anti-Muslim attitudes in the Netherlands. Our findings were also in line with other research suggesting that decreased intergroup threats alleviate nationalistic tendencies (Paolini, Hewstone, Cairns, & Voci, 2004;Pettigrew & Tropp, 2008;Pettigrew, Tropp, Wagner, & Christ, 2011). We expected optimism to be a greater contributor, although it did manifest as a significant mediator for identity complexity.…”

Interracial contact and racial constancy: A multi-site study of racial intergroup bias in 3–5 year old Anglo-British children

“…There are several advantages to using dextended contactT rather than ddirect contactT when attempting to reduce intergroup bias. Extended contact allows participants to experience contact while avoiding any anxiety or negative feeling, which may be caused by direct contact (Paolini, Hewstone, Cairns & Voci, 2004;Pettigrew & Tropp, 2000;Stephan & Stephan, 1985). It is also advantageous practically because the number of racial minority group members available for direct contact may be small.…”

Rural inhabitants of the Chechen Republic on Moscow and Muscovites

“…Достаточно, чтобы взаимодействовали отдельные члены групп, которые затем транслируют свое изменившееся мнение остальным представителям своего сообщества. Справедливость этого предположения впослед ствии также была эмпирически доказана [Paolini et al, 2004;Pettigrew et al, 2007].…”