Testing the Effectiveness of Imagined Contact as a Tool to Promote Intergroup Prosociality

Abstract

This PhD thesis investigated the effectiveness of imagined contact, the act of imagining positive intergroup encounters, as a strategy to enhance intergroup prosociality. Specifically, it explored whether, how, and when imagined contact promotes prosocial responses towards outgroups. The research comprised data from a sample of 1,762 British participants, across eight studies targeting three distinct outgroups: drug addicts, refugees, and homeless people. Chapter 2 (Studies 1-4) demonstrated that imagined contact increased emotional support for drug addicts, mediated by empathy towards drug addicts and self-perceptions of empathy, particularly when the interaction was envisioned from a third-person perspective. However, it did not significantly affect charitable donations. Chapter 3 (Studies 1-3) found that imagined contact was linked to enhanced prosocial intentions and emotional support towards refugees through empathy and reduced attributions of blame, particularly among non-liberal participants. It also showed that imagined contact was related to prosocial intentions towards drug addicts through the same mechanisms. Chapter 4 (Study 1) extended these findings, revealing that the effects of imagined contact on prosocial intentions towards refugees through empathy and attributions of blame extended to prosocial intentions towards homeless individuals among non-liberals. While Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) did not significantly moderate any of the effects of imagined contact, Belief in a Just World (BJW) did moderate its direct effects on prosocial intentions, with imagined contact being particularly effective for individuals with higher BJW. Overall, this thesis makes an important and novel contribution to the literature by identifying imagined contact as a potent strategy for fostering prosocial responses in intergroup contexts and elucidating the underlying psychological mechanisms and moderating factors that influence its effectiveness.