The Application of Diversity‐Based Interventions to Policy and Practice

Abstract

The pursuit of positive intergroup relations has captured the attention and imagination of educators, policy-makers, and academics. This challenge has inspired extensive psychological research in the area, and has also led to the development and implementation of diversity-based interventions to promote positive relations between members of different communities. These interventions have been developed primarily by educators and policy makers. They are typically highly practical and well suited to the school or organization context, and are often based on practitioners' intuition, knowledge, and experience in applied settings. The goal of such interventions is often to increase knowledge of other cultures, challenge stereotypes and myths, and instill in participants an appreciation of diversity. Psychologists have typically focused on developing psychological theories concerning factors that contribute to prejudice in adults and children, and have rarely tested theoretical predictions in the field in the form of prejudicereduction interventions (Oskamp, 2000). However, in recent years academics too have developed theoretically based prejudice-reduction interventions that are derived from the concept of diversity, and aim to induce social psychological processes associated with more positive intergroup relations. In this chapter we will argue that practitioners and academics have much to learn from one another, and closer collaboration will allow both groups to capitalize on each other's strengths. We believe such a partnership is essential in order to develop prejudicereduction interventions and strategies that are both effective and practical. The Psychology of Social and Cultural DiversityEdited by Richard J. Crisp

Reducing prejudice and promoting positive intergroup attitudes among elementary-school children in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

“…Indirect contact interventions include programs such as extended contact (Turner, Hewstone, Voci, Paolini, & Christ, 2007), internet contact (Alvídrez et al, 2015;Amichai-Hamburger et al, 2015) and para-contact (Harwood, Hewstone, Hamburger, & Tausch, 2013). Information-based interventions include interventions such as diversity training (Cameron & Turner, 2010) and peace education (Salomon, 2006). To our knowledge, there has been no prejudice-reduction studies focusing exclusively on social-cognitive skill training, few programs did manipulate children's perspective taking and attempted to instill empathy in them (Lustig, 2003;Slone, Tarrasch, & Hallis, 2000).…”

Confidence in Contact: A New Perspective on Promoting Cross‐Group Friendship Among Children and Adolescents

“…Social and developmental psychologists have developed and evaluated extended contact interventions in schools (see Cameron & Rutland, 2008;Cameron & Turner, 2010, for reviews). Cameron and colleagues had children read illustrated stories portraying intergroup friendships, and then engaged in small group discussions about the stories.…”

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“…This allows the process to operate with people participating face-to-face. An alternative approach that can be used when moderate levels of conflict are evident is extended contact [77].…”

“…Brainstorming, extended contact and the Delphi method expose stakeholders are techniques designed to expose stakeholders to diverse perspectives, allow them to evaluate ideas in general, and enable their developing consensus around new ways of thinking and acting. The collaboration engendered by these approaches can be further developed using methods such as multiple classification training [77].…”