According to new research by
Stanford psychologists, people's attitudes toward another racial or
ethnic group improve when they participate in the other group's cultural
activities, such as – in this case – making a music video together.

"We
found that even a brief opportunity to take part in another group's
culture can improve intergroup attitudes even months later," said lead
researcher Tiffany Brannon.

The study, by Brannon and Greg Walton,
assistant professor of psychology, looked at what role social
connections, such as a shared interest, have in reducing bias and
whether engaging in the cultural behaviors of another ethnic or racial
group could play a role in reducing prejudice.

"If you get to know
someone from another group and you find you have something in common
with them – a birthday, a favorite book – you more easily like them or
feel connected to them. This is well established in psychology
research," Walton said.

But, he said, those feelings of connection
don't necessarily carry over to the other group as a whole. Walton and
Brannon sought a way to bridge that gap.

The researchers conducted
three experiments, examining social connection, cultural engagement and
prejudice. The study appears this month in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

In
one experiment, the researchers found that white Canadian participants
expressed greater interest in Chinese culture when their posture was
mimicked by a Chinese Canadian peer during a get-to-know-you
conversation versus when the peer held a neutral position.

They
also found that the white Canadian participants who were mimicked bought
more tickets for a drawing to win Chinese cultural products.

Brannon
said the test supported the researchers' prediction that social
connections – even as subtle as mimicking posture – allow people to
develop interest in a person's cultural background.

The researchers then wanted to find out if engaging in the culture would reduce bias.

Brannon
and Walton tested this question by having Asian and white American
participants interact with a Latina American, by having a
get-to-know-you conversation and participating in an activity that
incorporated Mexican culture, in this case, designing a music video for a
Mexican pop band.

The researchers found that the participants
showed less implicit prejudice against Latinos after they got to know
the Latina peer – who, for the study, shared an interest with the
participants, such as a favorite book – and after they designed the
video.

Walton noted that there was no reduction in bias when
participants worked with the peer on a project that didn't have a
Mexican culture component, suggesting the peer's culture was key to
interest, engagement and more positive intergroup attitudes.
Participants also had to feel like they freely chose to take part in the
activity, Walton said.

Most surprising to the researchers was the lasting effects of this brief intervention.

Following
up six months later with the white and Asian participants with
questions about their feelings toward immigration and Mexican Americans,
the researchers found more positive attitudes toward interacting with
Mexican Americans and marginally more support for U.S. policies that
would benefit Mexican immigrants.

"The take-home message of this
research is that cultural behaviors, ideas and practices that are often a
source of pride and self-meaning for a group can play a role in
improving intergroup outcomes," Brannon said.

The researchers say
their findings could help policymakers, employers, school administrators
and others interested in creating a more positive climate for people
from diverse backgrounds.

"What's empowering about this research
is that too often people feel like they need to hide their cultures, but
this suggests that bringing it out, having people being engaged in it,
can improve attitudes and make a more pleasant environment on the
whole," Walton said.

Article and photo courtesy of the Stanford News Service