Improving Intergroup Relations through Para-social Contact: An Examination of How Pro-social Television Can Heal Race Relations between Black and White Americans.

Abstract

In a world today filled with conflict and strife, effective strategies and policies are needed to bring about intergroup understanding and peace. Guided by the contact hypothesis and social cognitive theories, this study examined how television can be used as a creative tool to reduce intergroup tensions and increase pro-social attitudes and behaviors among people. Using television as vehicle for social change is very promising since Americans on average spend 5 hours per day watching television—more time than all other media combined. Further, television’s status as a cultural icon gives it the power and authority to serve as a key socializing entity in our society. This is the first study to use experimental procedures with an adult population to examine how television can be used to improve interracial relations. In this study participants were randomly assigned to view a pro-social television clip with black and white characters or a similar pro-social television clip with all white characters. Participants were then assessed on their attitudes and behaviors towards black people. The results show that viewing pro-social television depicting black and white characters in positive interactions reduced the amount of anxiety white participants held towards black people, and reduced the amount of physical distance white participants put between themselves and their black conversation partners. Furthermore, participants who viewed the mixed-race television clip and who had black friends selected the shortest preferred physical distance between themselves and their black conversation partners. For participants who identified more with the white characters, viewing the mixed race television clip significantly decreased their negative feelings towards black people. The possibility that television viewing may foster positive attitudes and behaviors has received very little attention. However, this study shows that viewing pro-social mixed-race television programming designed to reduce prejudice and increase acceptance of others can in fact increase positive attitudes and behaviors among people who are or who have historically been at conflict. Pro-social television may help solve some of our most challenging social problems of today.