Music and Sports as Catalysts for Intergroup Harmony

Abstract: Mediated intergroup contact positively influences attitudes toward social out-groups; here, we explored whether different intergroup contact activities might influence attitudes via different mechanisms. We investigated whether mediated musical or sports contact improves intergroup attitudes through theoretically derived mediators (interpersonal synchronization, empathy, and humanization). This was accomplished by exposing US respondents to videos featuring Chinese singers or table tennis players. We found support for mediated effects of intergroup musical exposure on prejudice through the mediator humanization. We also examined whether seeing in-group (vs. out-group) members enjoying the out-group performance in the video (a “reaction video”) would improve attitudes via norms-related processes. Sharing the viewing experience with an in-group character enables identification with that in-group character, which facilitates modeling of positive intergroup relations. We found that seeing an in-group member enjoying an out-group performance reduced prejudice via norms, but only when people viewed the sports performance. Results are discussed in terms of the prejudice-reducing potential of exposure to media featuring music and sports.