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Project 13: Intervention strategies against the immunization of intergroup expectations

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner 

PhD Student: Inga Pauls, Adrian Rothers

Prejudiced people usually defend their prejudice and stereotypes as well as their discriminatory behavior and violence. Reasons for such assimilations and immunizations can be found
• on the individual level, in strivings for consistency and avoidance of (identity) threats as well as,
• on the social level, in social influence processes.

Intervention strategies often use persuasion and intergroup contact. Moderators that determine effectiveness of such interventions are
• personality variables of the recipients (e.g. right wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation),
• on the social level, group membership of the intervention agent and
• ingroup support of the participants for their biased positions.

Aim of the PhD project will be to study the influence of these moderators as inhibiting or promoting factors of change of negative outgroup stereotypes and behavior.

Publications

Kotzur, P.F., Schäfer, S. J., & Wagner, U. (2019). Meeting a nice asylum seeker: Intergroup contact changes stereotype content perceptions and associated emotional prejudices, and encourages solidarity‐based collective action intentions. British Journal of Social Psychology, 58, 668-690.  

Van Zomeren, M., Pauls, I. L., & Cohen-Chen, S. (2019). Is hope good for motivating collective action in the context of climate change? Differentiating hope`s emotion- and problem-focused coping functions. Global Environmental Change, 58, 101915. 

Kotzur, P., Tropp, L. R., & Wagner, U. (2018). Welcoming the unwelcome: How contact shapes contexts of reception for new immigrants in Germany and the United States. Journal of Social Issues, 74, 812-832. 

Pauls, I. L., & Lienen, C. (2020). Die Corona-Krise verunsichert viele Menschen - was kann man dagegen tun? (Teil 1). The Inquisite Mind. 

Pauls, I. L., Lienen, C., Knab, N., Harnack, K., & Cohrs, J. C. (2018). Mit Psychologie Frieden fördern? Beiträge aus der psychologischen Forschung zur Reduktion von destruktiven Konflikten und Friedensförderung. The Inquisite Mind, 4. 

Guffler, K., & Wagner, U. (2017). Backfire of good intentions: Unexpected long-term contact intervention effects in an intractable conflict area. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 23, 383-391. 

More information on Prof. Dr. Ulrich Wagner 

More information on our PhD Students