Mutual Acculturation Processes in Prejudice Reduction

California State University Northridge, Northridge CA

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Abstract

This project tests a revised mutual acculturation model of prejudice reduction. The broad objectives are[unreadable] to: 1) understand motives that underly prejudice; 2) test status-related variables as moderators of the model,[unreadable] so as to better understand the relationship among strength and exploration of ethnic identity and prejudice;[unreadable] and 3) use the information to develop school-based interventions. The specific aims are to 1) assess the[unreadable] importance of both social categorization and acculturation variables for predicting prejudice toward outgroup[unreadable] members; 2) establish the causal role of outgroup orientation in the relationship between positive intergroup[unreadable] contact and low intergroup prejudice; 3) show that low intergroup prejudice does not require relinquishing[unreadable] identity with one's ethnocultural group, as long as such identity is a result of exploring the relationship of[unreadable] one's own group to other groups in the society; 4) examine whether group status variables and beliefs in[unreadable] social dominance need to be taken into account when assessing the relationship between acculturation[unreadable] variables and intergroup prejudice, and 5) use the research results to tailor educational interventions that will[unreadable] reduce intergroup prejudice and prevent intergroup conflict and injury among adolescents and young adults.[unreadable] The fieldwork consists of pre-post-intervention surveys of high school students; the experimental research[unreadable] with college students tests causal relationships in the model. The samples, secondary and higher education[unreadable] venues, and metropolitan area for the research are all multicultural, with no ethnocultural group in the[unreadable] majority. The model takes into account status differences, cultural dilemmas, and differences in ethnic[unreadable] identity exploration, making the findings applicable to social, cultural, and developmental psychology theory.[unreadable] The empirical components of the project break new ground methodologically and statistically, providing[unreadable] survey items, measurement techniques, and statistical analyses useful to other researchers. At a practical[unreadable] level, the initiative will suggest strategies for developing and implementing educational interventions.[unreadable] "Public health and safety are significantly enhanced when intergroup conflict among adolescents is[unreadable] prevented. This project tests and implements a strategy for reducing racial/ethnic prejudice in multiracial[unreadable] schools. The strategy combines elements of a healthy classroom social climate with support for student[unreadable] interactions that reduce racial/ethnic prejudice, foster respect for student diversity and prevent conflict."