murrar amp brauer quot overcoming resistance to change using narratives to create more positive intergroup attitudes quot

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  • Most answers do not require more than 1-3 sentences.
  • 1. Why is it important to find effective ways to reduce intergroup prejudice and discrimination (page 164)?
  • 2. The authors highlight two primary reasons that people tend to be resistant to attitude change (page 165). One reason is that intergroup attitudes are tied to our social identity. A second reason is that people tend to use cognitive strategies to reinforce their existing attitudes. Explain each of these below.
  • 3. The authors review how research studies have found that some popular strategies for changing people’s attitudes have not proven effective (page 165). They also review reasons why they may not work. Describe one strategy that does not appear effective and one reason it may not usually work.
  • 4. The authors advocate narrative-based methods for prejudice-reduction. In a few sentences, summarize each of the three reasons why they consider them effective for overcoming attitudinal resistance.
  • 5.The authors describe two studies that led to reduced prejudice. One involved television episodes and another involved a radio soap opera (see page 166). Describe one of these studies. What did the researchers do in their study? What did they find?
  • 6. The authors suggest some components of narratives that may be especially helpful for creating positive intergroup attitude shifts (page 167). Select one or two of them and propose in a few sentences how they could be incorporated into a television program aimed at reducing prejudice toward a particular group. In other words, imagine you were designing a TV show and you wanted to pitch your idea to a producer.
  • 7. Continuing with your proposed television show from the prior question, how might you make sure that you avoid creating counter-productive narratives (see page 167)?