How to Get Along: Prosocial Intergroup Behavior Effects on Prosocial Intergroup Attitudes as a Potential Novel Pathway to Improve Intergroup Relations

随着世界范围内群体间的两极分化正在加剧，促进群体间合作对良好运行的社会至关重要。该项目将审查在集团间进程中未被充分探索的基本机制，并调查新开发的促进集团间合作的方法。研究人员目前用来促进群体间亲社会性的方法，当应用于现实世界的情况时，其有效性有限。这是因为研究人员经常针对消极的、不愿改变对另一群体的态度(原因)，并相信亲社会的群体间行为会随之而来(影响)。这项研究表明，为了增加亲社会行为，干预需要直接针对行为(“原因”)，亲社会态度将随之而来(“效果”)。本研究从纵向和实验两个方面考察了群体间态度行为的因果关系。第一项研究将使用最先进的纵向统计模型和高频测量突发事件来解决英国公民在日常生活中的群体间态度行为研究中长期被忽视的“因果序列”问题。第二项研究将在实验室模拟的冲突中，通过观察多个参与者过去的行为和态度如何影响他们的互动，来实验地调查群体间态度和行为的因果序列，超过第一个。最后一项研究将在实验室模拟现实世界的冲突中测试上述过程，涉及多个群体。这项研究之所以重要，是因为它解决了一个重要研究领域长期存在的理论空白，并为现代世界最困难和最持久的问题之一--鼓励人们和睦相处--提供了实用和易于实施的解决方案。

With polarization across group divides on the rise worldwide, promoting intergroup cooperation is crucial for well functioning societies. This project will examine underexplored foundational mechanisms in intergroup processes and investigate newly developed methods for promoting intergroup cooperation. The methods researchers currently employ to promote prosociality between groups are limited in their effectiveness when applied to real-world situations. This is because researchers often target negative, resistant-tochangeattitudes towards the other group ('cause'), and believe prosocial intergroup behavior will follow ('effect'). This project suggests that in order to increase prosocial behavior,interventions need to target behavior directly ('cause'), and prosocial attitudes will follow ('effect'). This research investigates this suggestion by examining intergroup attitude behavior causation both longitudinally and experimentally. The first study will use state of the art longitudinal statistical modeling and high frequency measurement bursts to address this long-neglected 'causal sequence' problem in intergroup attitude-behavior research within UK citizens as they go about their daily lives. The second study will experimentally investigate the causal sequence of intergroup attitudes and behavior, above and beyond the first, by seeing how the past behavior and attitudes of multiple participants affect their interactions during laboratory simulated conflict. The final study will test the processes above in a laboratory simulation of real-world conflict, involving multiple groups. This research is important because it addresses long-standing theoretical gaps in an important area of research and offers practical and easy to implement solutions for one of the most difficult and enduring problems of the modern world: encouraging people to get along.