Intergroup Contact as an Agent of Cognitive Liberalization. (September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hodson, Gordon; Crisp, Richard J.; Meleady, Rose; Earle, Megan
• Is Part Of: Perspectives on psychological science. Volume 13:Number 5(2018)
• Page Start: 523
• Page End: 548
• Publication Date: 2018-09
• Subjects: contact -- liberalization -- prejudice -- cognition; Psychology -- Periodicals; 150
• DOI: 10.1177/1745691617752324
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1745-6916

Abstract

Intergroup contact is widely recognized as one of the most validated methods of improving attitudes toward out-groups. Yet what is intergroup contact "good for" beyond this function? To answer this question we take a panoramic view of the literature, beginning with the recognition that contact is multifaceted in both form (e.g., face-to-face, indirect, simulated) and outcome (e.g., attitudes, cognition, behavior). Taking this highly inclusive view of what contact is and what contact does suggests that it plays a fundamental role in the shaping of human cognition. An increasingly diverse body of research demonstrates that contact exerts a generalizing reaction across target out-groups, making respondents less inward looking and more open to experiences. Contact shapes ideology regarding how the world ought to operate (i.e., ideologies about social hierarchy or regulation); over time, it can promote new ways of problem-solving, enhance cognitive flexibility, and foster creativity. For these reasons, we believe that contact is a key liberalizing agent that shapes human cognition and experience; consequently, contact theory should now share the stage with other prominent theories (e.g., cognitive dissonance) that speak to a broader understanding of human nature.