Perspective-taking increases willingness to engage in intergroup contact

Cynthia S Wang, Tai Kenneth, Gillian Ku, Adam D Galinsky, Cynthia S Wang, Tai Kenneth, Gillian Ku, Adam D Galinsky

Abstract

The current research explored whether perspective-taking increases willingness to engage in contact with stereotyped outgroup members. Across three studies, we find that perspective-taking increases willingness to engage in contact with negatively-stereotyped targets. In Study 1, perspective-takers sat closer to, whereas stereotype suppressors sat further from, a hooligan compared to control participants. In Study 2, individual differences in perspective-taking tendencies predicted individuals' willingness to engage in contact with a hooligan, having effects above and beyond those of empathic concern. Finally, Study 3 demonstrated that perspective-taking's effects on intergroup contact extend to the target's group (i.e., another homeless man), but not to other outgroups (i.e., a man of African descent). Consistent with other perspective-taking research, our findings show that perspective-taking facilitates the creation of social bonds by increasing contact with stereotyped outgroup members.

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1. Effect of the narrative essay…
Figure 1. Effect of the narrative essay writing instructions on seating distance in Study 1.
Figure 2. Effects of writing instructions and…
Figure 2. Effects of writing instructions and target group on number of volunteered tasks in Study 3.

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