Walking in My Shoes: Imagined Synchrony Improves Attitudes Towards Out-groups

Gray Atherton, Liam Cross*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

People are prone to dividing others into the categories of ‘us’ and ‘them’. This can be particularly detrimental to minorities who may experience social exclusion, prejudice, and reduced access to equal opportunities. One method of improving intergroup relations is to create opportunities for contact. Common contact interventions have members of different groups meet and engage in conversation. There are also non-verbal embodied intergroup activities that produce the same effects. Previous work has shown that the pro-social effects of coordination may be linked to whether co-actors are classed as in or out-group members. The current study explored whether imagining walking in synchrony with in- or out-group members changed majority members’ attitudes towards those individuals. Imagining walking in synchrony fostered greater increases in empathy and decreases in negative attitudes only towards minority group members following imagined coordination (not in-groups). Implications and future directions are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)351-359
Number of pages9
JournalPsychological Studies
Volume65
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

Keywords

  • Attitudes
  • Coordination
  • Entrainment
  • Group processes
  • Pro-sociality
  • Stereotypes
  • Synchrony

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