Effects of power asymmetry on the sustained impact of a contact-based intervention on perceptions of relations between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

Abstract

Research on intergroup contact records, on the one hand, positive effects on prejudice reduction, but on the other hand, potential negative consequences for minority groups, due to the power discrepancies between the involved groups. This study sought to explore the longer-term effects of participating in an intergroup contact intervention on attitudes of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs regarding relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Following the contact encounter, compared to a control condition, participants' perceptions of intergroup threat, outgroup trust, willingness to forgive the outgroup, and involvement in competitive victimhood were assessed. Results indicated the generally positive role that the contact intervention had on Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs participants. However, the effects among Israeli Arabs, compared to Israeli Jews, were significantly weaker, pointing to the potential effect of power asymmetry on the outcomes of intergroup contact. Potential explanations, as well as theoretical and practical implications of the findings, are discussed. Public Significance StatementContact-based interventions generally appear to be helpful in promoting intergroup cooperation and mutual understanding. However, as the present research that studied responses of Israeli-Arabs and Israeli-Jews shows, the power discrepancies between the groups can critically determine the impact of such intergroup encounter.

How intergroup contact shapes intergroup attitudes and construals of relations between ethnic groups: Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“…Contact can also contribute to shaping people’s understandings of their own group’s position in society relative to other groups—including both groups with whom contact has occurred, and other groups not directly involved in the contact (e.g., Brewer, 2008; Dhont et al, 2014; Pettigrew, 1997; Verkuyten et al, 2022). Even in contexts grappling with legacies of violent conflict, contact may shift perceptions of competitive victimhood between groups and enhance willingness to acknowledge harm caused by one’s own group onto other groups (Čehajić & Brown, 2010; Gilad et al, 2021), along with shaping views of outgroup members’ intentions in ways that foster greater support for intergroup reconciliation (Tropp et al, 2017).…”