According to Dr. Allport, “Only the type of contact that leads people to do things together is likely to
result in changed attitudes”1
. Intergroup contact is especially likely to decrease prejudice between
groups when it occurs under specific conditions.
Activities that incorporate these conditions are known as “intergroup bridging” activities. Intergroup
contact theory2
proposes that the following conditions should be met to allow for successful intergroup
bridging to occur:
Members of the different groups must have equal status. One group cannot be treated as
“less than” or “lower status” than any other, e.g. instructor/student relationship.
Members of the different groups must hold a common goal they wish to achieve.
Members of the different groups must agree to work together cooperatively to ensure that
groups are not competing against one another.
There must be i
