Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment
Abstract Given the current polarized climate in many parts of the world, finding effective interventions to address psychological factors that drive conflict is critical. Direct, face-to-face contact has the demonstrated potential to stem the tide of intergroup antipathy. However, modern socio-polit...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Communications Psychology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00218-5 |
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| author | Shira Hebel-Sela Boaz Hameiri Linda R. Tropp Samantha L. Moore-Berg Rebecca Saxe Eran Halperin Emile Bruneau |
| author_facet | Shira Hebel-Sela Boaz Hameiri Linda R. Tropp Samantha L. Moore-Berg Rebecca Saxe Eran Halperin Emile Bruneau |
| author_sort | Shira Hebel-Sela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Given the current polarized climate in many parts of the world, finding effective interventions to address psychological factors that drive conflict is critical. Direct, face-to-face contact has the demonstrated potential to stem the tide of intergroup antipathy. However, modern socio-political conflicts often span great physical distances, making direct contact difficult, costly and rare. Programs for “virtual contact” have emerged in recent years, combining text-based computer-mediated communication with live video to extend intergroup contact’s benefits to broader audiences. While compelling, studies of such programs are typically conducted in laboratory settings, focusing only on change in outgroup attitudes. The current research tests how a semester-long virtual contact intervention that brings together non-Muslim US American students and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia shapes varied intergroup processes, across two large-scale field quasi-experiments (combined N = 2886). Compared to before the intervention and a control group, participants who engaged in virtual contact showed greater self-outgroup overlap, improved outgroup attitudes, and less outgroup dehumanization and meta-dehumanization. This research provides evidence that virtual contact can be an effective tool for promoting better intergroup relations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c5ed29861b2a4ec49119d70883277ea3 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2731-9121 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-c5ed29861b2a4ec49119d70883277ea32025-08-20T03:05:49ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Psychology2731-91212025-03-013111110.1038/s44271-025-00218-5Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experimentShira Hebel-Sela0Boaz Hameiri1Linda R. Tropp2Samantha L. Moore-Berg3Rebecca Saxe4Eran Halperin5Emile Bruneau6Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of JerusalemThe Evens Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Tel Aviv UniversityDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts AmherstDepartment of Psychology, University of UtahDepartment of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Psychology, The Hebrew University of JerusalemDepartment of Communications, University of PennsylvaniaAbstract Given the current polarized climate in many parts of the world, finding effective interventions to address psychological factors that drive conflict is critical. Direct, face-to-face contact has the demonstrated potential to stem the tide of intergroup antipathy. However, modern socio-political conflicts often span great physical distances, making direct contact difficult, costly and rare. Programs for “virtual contact” have emerged in recent years, combining text-based computer-mediated communication with live video to extend intergroup contact’s benefits to broader audiences. While compelling, studies of such programs are typically conducted in laboratory settings, focusing only on change in outgroup attitudes. The current research tests how a semester-long virtual contact intervention that brings together non-Muslim US American students and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia shapes varied intergroup processes, across two large-scale field quasi-experiments (combined N = 2886). Compared to before the intervention and a control group, participants who engaged in virtual contact showed greater self-outgroup overlap, improved outgroup attitudes, and less outgroup dehumanization and meta-dehumanization. This research provides evidence that virtual contact can be an effective tool for promoting better intergroup relations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00218-5 |
| spellingShingle | Shira Hebel-Sela Boaz Hameiri Linda R. Tropp Samantha L. Moore-Berg Rebecca Saxe Eran Halperin Emile Bruneau Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment Communications Psychology |
| title | Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment |
| title_full | Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment |
| title_fullStr | Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment |
| title_short | Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment |
| title_sort | virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non muslim american and muslim students from the middle east north africa and southeast asia in a field quasi experiment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00218-5 |
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