The Contact Hypothesis
The contact
hypothesis is the idea that better communication will result from simply
bringing the two different groups together and letting them interact. This is
based on the idea that contact and interaction between people will help the
individuals have a greater respect and understanding for other cultures. One of
the main ways that prejudices can be avoided is by interacting and
communicating with the group that one has a prejudice against. Two individuals,
Gordon Allport and Yehudi Amir, have studied this hypothesis and discovered
that there are several conditions that must be met in order for the contact
hypothesis to work effectively (Martin & Nakayama, 2010). Among these ideas
is the idea that contact between the groups should be voluntary. Choice in
making the contact is crucial with the contact hypothesis. This condition shows
the opposing groups that they care about each other and are sincerely
interested in learning and understanding. I think the contact hypothesis hits
the bulls-eye on the fact that in order for individuals to communicate
effectively they must respect each other and have an understanding of the
others way of life.
An example of the Contact Hypothesis
I found was a study of the acceptance of gay marriage. This study showed the
changing views of the acceptance of gay marriage based on whether or not the
individual knew someone currently in a gay marriage. The results of this study
clearly show that interaction with individuals that live in a gay marriage made
the individuals interacting with them more open and willing to interact with
this group of people
Another
example is the United States imposing desegregation laws throughout its
history. The United States believed that direct interaction between the two
races would enhance communication and avoid prejudice between the two. I think
this is also the idea behind international student exchange programs that the
United States employs with other countries. I personally have a roommate this
semester from China who I have learned an incredible amount from in just a
short period of time. It has opened my eyes to a different culture and I feel
that our communication has improved drastically.
Learning this concept has made me
excited to interact with people of different cultures and try to get to know
their way of life in a way that sets the prejudices aside. I often find that
prejudices are completely false with people that I meet. I’m also going to take
into consideration that individuals from different cultures think and interpret
things differently than I do. I think having a good idea of who the person is
you are talking to can enhance communication tremendously.
Reference
Martin,
J.N., & Nakayam, T.K. (2010). Intercultural
Communication in Contexts (5th Edition ed). New York, NY:
McGraww-Hill.
USA Today/Gallup. (2009).Comfort level around gays and
lesbians [Web]. Retrieved from
http://sas-origin.onstreammedia.com/origin/gallupinc/GallupSpaces/Production/Cms/POLL/ojpfz0un7ewsh7y0sshbpw.gif
Sorry about the whited-out portion of my final reference. Does anyone have any tips to not having this happen? I have dealt with this in both of my blog posts
ReplyDeleteIf you highlight it, there is a button to 'remove formatting'. That should do the trick.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it seems that your example and my post are related.
Great concept Cole! I am a big fan of contact hypothesis and used it as an inspiration for the cultural reporter project. The work was followed up by Thomas Pettigrew (1998) who critiqued these conditions as facilitating, but not necessary. He posited the "friendship potential" as the first and most necessary criteria for positive intercultural contact. I think the example that you gave in terms of your roommate is a great example of this. You could definitely apply this notion of the friendship potential with your second blog.
ReplyDeleteGreat APA in text and references. In future blogs, think about how you can keep adding to paragraph 3.