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Sociology / Unit 7   Soc 1063 short lesson, about 20 seconds

The Contact Hypothesis

Captions available

The idea

Allport's contact hypothesis holds that contact between groups reduces prejudice only under conditions: equal status, shared goals, cooperation, and support from authority.

In practice

A workplace team pursuing one target together meets the conditions; sharing a crowded platform with strangers meets none of them.

Where people slip

Contact without those conditions can harden prejudice rather than reduce it.

Your place on the trail

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