Secondary Transfer Effects of Mediated Intergroup Contact: Does Habitual Exposure to US-American Media Affect Attitudes Towards South African Outgroups?

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session II
  In Interactive Paper Session: Interactive Papers in Intergroup Communication

Abstract

Within the last years, evidence has been accumulated that exposure to outgroup members in media can improve attitudes towards the contacted outgroup. However, researchers have only recently started to explore whether mediated contact with one group can affect attitudes towards other groups that a recipient was not exposed to (Joyce & Harwood, 2014). This effort seems to be of utmost relevance as such an attitude transfer might help to improve intergroup relations in contexts with high levels of self-imposed segregation. I aim to extend the initial findings from Joyce and Harwood (2014) by conducting the first two observational studies on Secondary Transfer Effects of Mediated Intergroup Contact. Surveying South African students (n>1850), I investigate whether habitual media exposure to racialized groups from the USA can predict attitudes towards racialized groups from South Africa.

Author

• David Schieferdecker, U of Mannheim