Psychology
The Effects of Perspective Taking and Narrative Reading on Attitudes Towards Refugees
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
13-4-2018 1:45 PM
End Date
13-4-2018 2:45 PM
Sponsor
Bill Altermatt (Hanover College)
Description
This study was designed to investigate whether perspective taking and narrative reading have an effect on attitudes towards refugees and related issues, specifically, assimilation. Perspective taking is putting yourself in someone else's shoes, narrative reading is reading a true story of someone's experience, and assimilation in this paper is seen as the abandonment of original cultural norms and values and adopting those of a refugee's host country. Participants were in one of three groups: a control group which only took a Social Dominance Orientation measure and an attitude towards refugees and assimilation measure, an experimental group that read a perspective-taking exercise before the second measure, and an experimental group that read a narrative-reading exercise instead. I expect the participants with high SDO scores to have negative attitudes towards refugees, and I also expect participants in both experimental groups to have more positive attitudes towards refugees and assimilation, despite their SDO scores, than those in the control group. I believe that finding solutions to reducing prejudice against refugees is especially important today, and such research could be used to help design programs for communities hosting refugees.
The Effects of Perspective Taking and Narrative Reading on Attitudes Towards Refugees
Indianapolis, IN
This study was designed to investigate whether perspective taking and narrative reading have an effect on attitudes towards refugees and related issues, specifically, assimilation. Perspective taking is putting yourself in someone else's shoes, narrative reading is reading a true story of someone's experience, and assimilation in this paper is seen as the abandonment of original cultural norms and values and adopting those of a refugee's host country. Participants were in one of three groups: a control group which only took a Social Dominance Orientation measure and an attitude towards refugees and assimilation measure, an experimental group that read a perspective-taking exercise before the second measure, and an experimental group that read a narrative-reading exercise instead. I expect the participants with high SDO scores to have negative attitudes towards refugees, and I also expect participants in both experimental groups to have more positive attitudes towards refugees and assimilation, despite their SDO scores, than those in the control group. I believe that finding solutions to reducing prejudice against refugees is especially important today, and such research could be used to help design programs for communities hosting refugees.