Interracial prison contact: the pros for (socially dominant) cons.
Individuals high in social dominance orientation (SDO; Sidanius & Pratto, 1999) endorse group hierarchies and social inequality. Surprisingly little research has addressed contextual factors associated with reduced intergroup biases among such individuals. The present investigation considers a Person x Situation approach to this question in two British prisons, exploring the contextual factors outlined in the Contact Hypothesis (Allport, 1954). White inmates scoring higher in SDO exhibited significantly less in-group bias when reporting increased contact with Black inmates (Studies 1 & 2), when perceiving that favourable contact conditions are institutionally supported (Study 1), or when experiencing more pleasant personal interactions with Black inmates (Study 2). These SDO x Contact Condition moderation effects were mediated in Study 2: among high-SDO individuals, increased empathy towards Black inmates mediated the relation between contact variables and lower in-group bias. Implications for considering individual differences and empathy in contact settings are considered.
Hodson
Gordon
G
Department of Psychology, Brock University, Ontario, Canada. ghodson@brocku.ca
D000328:Adult; D005006:Ethnicity; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012930:Social Dominance; D006113:United Kingdom