BPS Social Psychology Section Annual Conference at the University of Oxford

The annual conference of the British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section was held on September 8-10 at the University of Oxford. Anne Speer presented findings from her PhD research where she looked at different kinds of prejudices. The talk focused on whether intergroup contact is associated with reduced ingroup bias, rooted in social identity, and status bias, rooted in group-based inequalities. Across three studies (cross-sectional, longitudinal, and a vignette experiment) contact was associated with reduced ingroup bias but not with reduced status bias, indicating that other interventions may be needed to reduce this kind of prejudice. 

Abstract

Background: The often-implicit definition of prejudice as outgroup prejudice has been criticized for its strong focus on group distinctions (e.g., intergroup or ingroup bias), while overlooking prejudices rooted in group-based hierarchies, potentially reinforcing the groups’ disadvantages. The latter form of prejudice is status bias: the tendency to prefer high-status groups over low-status groups. This study is the first to investigate the potential of intergroup contact to reduce status bias.

Method: Throughout a cross-sectional study (N = 571), a longitudinal study (N = 6,995), and a vignette experiment (N = 3,007), contact with various social groups and their evaluations were measured. Moreover, the participants’ group memberships were assessed, and the socioeconomic status of each evaluated group was calculated using representative surveys to measure ingroup bias and status bias, respectively. The data were analyzed using multilevel regression models.

Findings: Results reveal that the largest effects across all studies were the direct associations of contact with group evaluation, irrespective of group membership or group status. Moreover, contact significantly predicted weaker ingroup bias but stronger status bias, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The effects of contact were particularly pronounced for belief-indicative groups, but not status-indicative groups.

Discussion: These patterns have previously gone unobserved due to the lack of distinction between biases. Future research should investigate whether intergroup contact can reduce status bias if certain conditions are met – or whether the reduction of status bias demands a different intervention.