1 Department of Psychology, Brock University.
2 Department of Psychology, Durham University.
Perspect Psychol Sci. 2018 Sep;13(5):523-548. doi: 10.1177/1745691617752324. Epub 2018 Jul 13.
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.
群体间接触被广泛认为是改善对外群体态度最有效的方法之一。但除了这一功能，群体间接触还有什么“好处”呢？为了回答这个问题，我们从认识到接触在形式（例如面对面、间接、模拟）和结果（例如态度、认知、行为）上都是多方面的这一点出发，全面考察了文献。从接触是什么以及接触能做什么的这个高度包容性的角度来看，它在塑造人类认知方面起着基础性的作用。越来越多的研究表明，接触对目标外群体产生了普遍的反应，使被调查者不再内向，对外界的体验更加开放。接触塑造了关于世界应该如何运作的意识形态（即关于社会等级或监管的意识形态）；随着时间的推移，它可以促进新的解决问题的方法，提高认知灵活性，并培养创造力。基于这些原因，我们认为接触是塑造人类认知和经验的关键自由化因素；因此，接触理论现在应该与其他突出的理论（例如认知失调）一起，共同探讨更广泛的人性理解。
