Joanne Hughes

Secondary transfer effects of intergroup contact : Alternative accounts and underlying processes

Although intergroup contact is one of the most prominent interventions to reduce prejudice, the generalization of contact effects is still a contentious issue. This research further examined the rarely studied secondary transfer effect (STE; Pettigrew, 2009), by which contact with a primary outgroup reduces prejudice toward secondary groups that are not directly involved in the contact. Across 3 cross-sectional studies conducted in Cyprus (N = 1,653), Northern Ireland (N = 1,973), and Texas (N = 275) and 1 longitudinal study conducted in Northern Ireland (N = 411), the present research sought to systematically rule out alternative accounts of the STE and to investigate 2 potential mediating mechanisms (ingroup reappraisal and attitude generalization). Results indicated that, consistent with the STE, contact with a primary outgroup predicts attitudes toward secondary outgroups, over and above contact with the secondary outgroup, socially desirable responding, and prior attitudes. Mediation analyses found strong evidence for attitude generalization but only limited evidence for ingroup reappraisal as an underlying process. Two out of 3 tests of a reverse model, where contact with the secondary outgroup predicts attitudes toward the primary outgroup, provide further evidence for an indirect effect through attitude generalization. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed, and directions for future research are identified.

Direct Contact as a Moderator of Extended Contact Effects: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Impact on Outgroup Attitudes, Behavioral Intentions, and Attitude Certainty

Cross-group friendships (the most effective form of direct contact) and extended contact (i.e., knowing ingroup members who have outgroup friends) constitute two of the most important means of improving outgroup attitudes. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal samples from different intergroup contexts, this research demonstrates that extended contact is most effective when individuals live in segregated neighborhoods having only few, or no, direct friendships with outgroup members. Moreover, by including measures of attitudes and behavioral intentions the authors showed the broader impact of these forms of contact, and, by assessing attitude certainty as one dimension of attitude strength, they tested whether extended contact can lead not only to more positive but also to stronger outgroup orientations. Cross-sectional data showed that direct contact was more strongly related to attitude certainty than was extended contact, but longitudinal data showed both forms of contact affected attitude certainty in the long run.

Antecedents and Consequences of Social Identity Complexity: Intergroup Contact, Distinctiveness Threat, and Outgroup Attitudes

Social identity complexity defines peoples more or less complex cognitive representations of the interrelationships among their multiple ingroup identities. Being high in complexity is contingent on situational, cognitive, or motivational factors, and has positive consequences for intergroup relations. Two survey studies conducted in Northern Ireland examined the extent to which intergroup contact and distinctiveness threat act as antecedents, and outgroup attitudes as consequences, of social identity complexity. In both studies, contact was positively, and distinctiveness threat negatively, associated with complex multiple ingroup perceptions, whereas respondents with more complex identity structures also reported more favorable outgroup attitudes. Social identity complexity also mediated the effects of contact and distinctiveness threat on attitudes. This research highlights that the extent to which individuals perceive their multiple ingroups in more or less complex and differentiated ways is of central importance to understanding intergroup phenomena.

Extended contact effects as a function of closeness of relationship with ingroup contacts

Using survey data from Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland (N = 428), the authors examined the effects of extended contact via different types of ingroup contacts (neighbors, work colleagues, friends, and family members) and tested whether closeness to ingroup contacts moderated the effects of extended contact on outgroup trust. Results demonstrated that extended contact effects varied as a function of the relationship to ingroup contacts, and that extended contact interacted with closeness ratings in predicting outgroup trust. Consistent with hypotheses, extended contacts via more intimate ingroup relationships (i.e., friends and family) were overall more strongly related to outgroup trust than extended contacts via less intimate ingroup relations (i.e., neighbors and work colleagues). Moreover, within each level of intimacy extended contact was related to outgroup trust only at high, and not at low, levels of rated closeness to ingroup contacts. The theoretical contributions, limitations and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Are separate schools divisive? A case study from Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, where the majority of children are educated at schools attended mainly by coreligionists, the debate concerning the role of schools in perpetuating intergroup hostilities has recently been reignited. Against questions regarding the efficacy of community relations policy in education, the research reported in this paper employs qualitative methods to examine social identity and intergroup attitudes amongst children attending a state controlled Protestant school and the school’s response to dealing with issues of diversity and difference. Findings suggest a relationship between ethnic isolation experienced by children and negative intergroup social attitudes and the discussion focuses on issues germane to the separateness of the school that are likely to contribute to strong ‘own’ group bias, stereotyping and prejudice. The implication of the school’s separate status for its engagement with a policy framework for relationship building is also considered. The paper concludes with some po...

Segregation in Northern Ireland: Implications for Community Relations Policy

In Northern Ireland it is estimated that 35–40 per cent of Protestants and Catholics live in communities divided along ethno-sectarian lines, and some research suggests increasing segregation in recent years. A recent policy initiative to promote a ‘Shared Future’ acknowledges that the problems of residential segregation relate, at least in part, to endemic fear and sense of threat in divided communities. The research presented in this article reflects on this ‘psychological’ analysis of the problem through an exploration of the basis of negative emotional responses in two of Belfasts most segregated areas, and examines potential mediators of more positive responses towards the ‘outgroup’. The article concludes with policy recommendations for mitigating fear and anxiety associated with residential segregation.

It's Never Too Late for "Us" to Meet "Them:" Prior Intergroup Friendships Moderate the Impact of Later Intergroup Friendships in Educational Settings.

BACKGROUND In this paper, we focused on mixing in educational settings between members of Catholic and Protestant ethnoreligious groups in Northern Ireland. AIMS In Study 1, we examined whether opportunities for contact at home and at university were associated with greater actual out-group friendships, and whether this friendship was associated with a reduction in prejudice. We also assessed whether the impact of out-group friendships at university was moderated by experience of out-group friendships outside university, such that the prejudice-reducing effect of university friendships was stronger for those with fewer friendships at home. In Study 2, we assessed opportunities for contact and actual out-group friendships at prior stages of the educational system and their relationship with prejudice. Sample(s). In both studies, our participants were students at universities in Northern Ireland (Study 1 N= 304 and Study 2 N= 157). METHODS We analysed the data using multiple regression and structural equation modelling. RESULTS First, opportunities for contact were positively associated with self-reported out-group friendships in all domains and stages of the educational system. Second, having more out-group friends was associated with reduced prejudice. Finally, the relationship between out-group friendships and current levels of prejudice was moderated by prior levels of out-group friendships (at home in Study 1; and at secondary and primary school in Study 2). CONCLUSIONS Contact, in the form of out-group friendships, was more powerful when it was a novel feature in a persons life. We discuss these findings in terms of the impact of mixing in educational contexts, especially in Northern Ireland, and outline suggestions for future research.

Community Relations in Northern Ireland: a shift in Attitudes?

Under the terms of the Belfast Agreement (1998), community relations policy and practice have progressed from tackling symptoms of the conflict towards adopting a more holistic approach that aims to also address its root causes. In an effort to gauge the impact of political and policy developments on relations between the Protestant and the Catholic communities, this paper examines longitudinal survey evidence of attitudes towards community relations issues amongst a representative sample of the Northern Ireland population. The data (collected in 1989, 1996 and 1999) reveal a growing disparity between Protestant and Catholic responses over time that reflect a Catholic community growing in confidence and a Protestant community feeling increasingly marginalised by wider political developments. In the final analysis we argue that the increasingly negative Protestant response reflects a perception that the current conflict resolution model promotes a Nationalist/Republican agenda that de-legitimises Unionist concerns and political aspirations.

Mediating and Moderating Effects of Inter-Group Contact: Case Studies from Bilingual/Bi-National Schools in Israel

Bilingual, bi-national schools in Israel aim to educate, together, children from linguistically and culturally diverse Arab and Jewish backgrounds. They reflect an ideological commitment to a more peaceful society and are based on the theoretical premises of the contact hypothesis. In its earliest manifestation, contact theory identified conditions under which inter-group contact was likely to improve negative social attitudes. More recently, and as a consequence of various critical analyses, the theory has evolved to focus more on process or intervening variables during contact, and wider contextual factors that can facilitate or impede the development of better relations. Based on qualitative research in two bilingual/bi-national schools in Israel, this paper examines the nature of the contact experienced by Arabs and Jews in the schools, as well as some of the contextual and process variables that seemingly mediate the quality, and moderate the effectiveness of the inter-group setting. It argues that, whilst commitment to school objectives and mechanisms for delivery are variables that seemingly affect responses to the out-group in the school, relationships between Arabs and Jews in the wider society present a potentially countervailing force.

Sharing Classes between Separate Schools: a mechanism for improving inter-group relations in Northern Ireland?

One manifestation of division and the history of conflict in Northern Ireland is the parallel education system that exists for Protestants and Catholics. Although recent decades have seen some advances in the promotion of integrated education, around 95% of children continue to attend schools separated on ethno-religious lines. In 2007 a programme for sharing education was established. Underpinned by intergroup contact theory, and reflecting educational priorities shared by all school sectors, the programme seeks to offer children from different denominational schools an opportunity to engage with each other on a sustained basis. In this article the authors adopt a quantitative approach to examining the impact of participation in the Sharing Education Programme on a range of outcomes (out-group attitudes, positive action tendencies and out-group trust) via, first, intergroup contact (cross-group friendships) and, second, intergroup anxiety. Their findings confirm the value of contact as a mechanism for promoting more harmonious relationships, and affirm the Sharing Education Programme as an initiative that can help promote social cohesion in a society that remains deeply divided.