This study investigated the impact of participation in the Seeds of Peace International Summer Camp program on attitudes toward perceived enemies and in-group members. Specifically, individuals’ social dominance orientation, stereotype attributions, closeness to own and out-group members, attitudes about peace, beliefs about ability to think independently and ideas about how to facilitate peace were examined. Three groups of adolescents were studied: Israeli, Palestinian and Non-Palestinian Arab campers who came from Jordan and Egypt. Two hundred and forty eight adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17 participated in Study 1, and a 62 participant sub-sample of the original group participated in the follow up study. The two studies together revealed several important findings. The results from Study 1 suggest that the experience of participating in the Seeds of Peace camp program is effective for fostering feelings of closeness to the out-group, and for evaluating the other side’s attitudes toward peacemaking more positively. Results also suggested that cognitively-oriented ratings, such as stereotypes of warmth and competence, were more resistant to change. The results of the follow up study conducted ten months after camp had ended were mixed. Generally, out-group evaluations became less positive, although there was some maintenance of effects. The present research supports previous findings that the use of coexistence programs as a means to improve intergroup relations is generally beneficial in the short term. The results also highlighted the importance of the experience of participating in the Seeds of Peace camp program to changing the beliefs held about perceived enemies. The significant contributions of the current research include underlining the importance of intergroup contact, the experience of living with perceived enemies, and becoming ready to listen to the other side, in order to change beliefs held about them.

This study investigated the impact of participation in the Seeds of Peace International Summer Camp program on attitudes toward perceived enemies and in-group members. Specifically, individuals’ social dominance orientation, stereotype attributions, closeness to own and out-group members, attitudes about peace, beliefs about ability to think independently and ideas about how to facilitate peace were examined. Three groups of adolescents were studied: Israeli, Palestinian and Non-Palestinian Arab campers who came from Jordan and Egypt. Two hundred and forty eight adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17 participated in Study 1, and a 62 participant sub-sample of the original group participated in the follow up study. The two studies together revealed several important findings. The results from Study 1 suggest that the experience of participating in the Seeds of Peace camp program is effective for fostering feelings of closeness to the out-group, and for evaluating the other side’s attitudes toward peacemaking more positively. Results also suggested that cognitively-oriented ratings, such as stereotypes of warmth and competence, were more resistant to change. The results of the follow up study conducted ten months after camp had ended were mixed. Generally, out-group evaluations became less positive, although there was some maintenance of effects. The present research supports previous findings that the use of coexistence programs as a means to improve intergroup relations is generally beneficial in the short term. The results also highlighted the importance of the experience of participating in the Seeds of Peace camp program to changing the beliefs held about perceived enemies. The significant contributions of the current research include underlining the importance of intergroup contact, the experience of living with perceived enemies, and becoming ready to listen to the other side, in order to change beliefs held about them.

The aim of the present research was to show that collective rituals have the potential to promote not only ingroup favoritism but also outgroup discrimination. In two studies, I used a minimal group setup and had participants engage in a lab-created ritual over the course of seven days. Afterwards, participants came into the lab and performed the actions in their ‘minimal’ group. In Study 1, I found that participants who performed the ad-hoc ritual distrusted outgroup members significantly more than did the control participants. Study 2 extended these findings by looking at ritual intensity as a factor of intergroup bias. Results showed, again, that participants in the two experimental conditions – elaborate and simple ritual – showed greater outgroup discrimination compared to the control, though the data showed no difference in biases between the two experimental conditions. I also found that tolerance to ambiguity moderated the effect of condition on intergroup bias.

The present research examined how daily experiences of intergroup contact through social interaction (direct contact) and exposure to outgroups in media (media contact) facilitate improvements in intergroup attitudes. A longitudinal diary study was conducted whereby participants indicated the amount of direct contact and media contact they had each day, as well as their intergroup attitudes. Results indicated that direct contact and media contact both independently predicted improvements in intergroup attitudes. For direct contact, but not media contact, this relationship was moderated by the perceived negativity of the contact. Time-lagged analyses indicated that direct contact on a given day predicted improved intergroup attitudes on a subsequent day above and beyond direct contact on that day, but that media contact has little or no residual impact. This suggests that although media contact and direct contact may both be effective at promoting more positive intergroup attitudes, direct contact may have a more lasting impact.

The aim of the present research was to show that collective rituals have the potential to promote not only ingroup favoritism but also outgroup discrimination. In two studies, I used a minimal group setup and had participants engage in a lab-created ritual over the course of seven days. Afterwards, participants came into the lab and performed the actions in their ‘minimal’ group. In Study 1, I found that participants who performed the ad-hoc ritual distrusted outgroup members significantly more than did the control participants. Study 2 extended these findings by looking at ritual intensity as a factor of intergroup bias. Results showed, again, that participants in the two experimental conditions – elaborate and simple ritual – showed greater outgroup discrimination compared to the control, though the data showed no difference in biases between the two experimental conditions. I also found that tolerance to ambiguity moderated the effect of condition on intergroup bias.

The present research examined how daily experiences of intergroup contact through social interaction (direct contact) and exposure to outgroups in media (media contact) facilitate improvements in intergroup attitudes. A longitudinal diary study was conducted whereby participants indicated the amount of direct contact and media contact they had each day, as well as their intergroup attitudes. Results indicated that direct contact and media contact both independently predicted improvements in intergroup attitudes. For direct contact, but not media contact, this relationship was moderated by the perceived negativity of the contact. Time-lagged analyses indicated that direct contact on a given day predicted improved intergroup attitudes on a subsequent day above and beyond direct contact on that day, but that media contact has little or no residual impact. This suggests that although media contact and direct contact may both be effective at promoting more positive intergroup attitudes, direct contact may have a more lasting impact.

The thesis describes a program of research that investigated whether women's perceptions of intergroup conflict between men and women impact upon their interpersonal relationships with men. A series of three studies focus on two groups of women: women who perceive a high amount of gender-based discrimination and women who perceive relatively little gender-based discrimination. Unexpectedly, despite significant differences between the two groups in terms of their social indentities as women and their gender ideologies, there were no differences between them with respect to the nature and extent of their work, platonic, and intimate relationships with men. Two psychological mechanisms that may enable a woman to prevent perceptions of intergroup discrimination from impacting upon her intimate relationships are examined: the exceptional case and dissociative mechanisms. Although no support was found for the dissociative mechanism, strong support was found for the exceptional case mechanism. Women who perceive a high amount of discrimination, compared to those who perceived relatively little, are more likely to view their partners as exceptional in terms of their support of women's issues. Moreover, it was demonstrated in Study 3 that the male partners of these women are actually exceptional in terms of their support, as well as their negotiation, of women's issues.

The purpose of this study was to examine the daily exchanges between Hispanic students of Mexican descent and European American teachers in urban schools and how these exchanges can result in a sense of frustration and powerlessness by Hispanic students affecting their academic success. The day-to-day interactions between teacher and student may be a result of intergroup conflict. As this was an exploratory study to examine the daily exchanges between Hispanic students of Mexican descent and their European American teachers, a qualitative case study methodology was used to collect and report the data for the study. This case study approach was helpful in examining the students? perceptions of intergroup conflict and how these cultural differences affected their exchanges. The data were collected through interviews and through observations made while visiting the urban high schools where the participants of the research study once attended. The study took place in a metropolitan city in South Central Texas. Included in this study were five male and five female Hispanic students of Mexican descent who were in their first or second year of college and who participated in two focus groups to validate their responses. The intergroup properties that were identified in this study were areas of conflict between the students and their European American teachers that affected their classroom relationships and their academic success. The properties of intergroup conflict were used to identify causes of conflict between the students and their European American teachers. The properties of intergroup conflict areas revealed in the study were (a) incompatible goals, (b) competitions for resources, (c) cultural and power differences, and (d) group boundaries. The quick increase in the Hispanic population has almost doubled the number of Hispanic students in public schools. The majority of these students are often clustered in urban schools. A disproportionate number of failing schools, across grade levels, serve predominately poor and minority students. Of equal importance is the statistic that 85% of teachers working in public schools in the United States are White. With the increase in students of color in schools, there is research showing that students are treated differently and that the cultural background of the student is often a reason for this differential treatment. As identified in the study and through the properties of intergroup conflict, cultural differences among various demographically diverse groups, such as the students and teachers studied here, lead to misperceptions that eventually lead to conflicts. Potential conflicts, due to teacher and student diversity and to opposing interests, occurred in the day-to-day exchanges in the classrooms.

South African has experienced a decline in world netball rankings from being second in 1995 to fifth position since 2003. One of the reasons for this situation relates to the drop out of talented players, sometimes before even reaching the elite level. Secondly, the immigration of senior players to other countries is also a major concern. The aim of this research is to establish the main factors that contribute to this state of affairs by considering the sacrifices that are made by elite netball players with regard to the rewards that they obtain in return. Cohesion was also investigated to establish the impact it has on players. Management of South African elite netball was revisited to determine the effect it has on players. Possible factors that enhance participation among players were also investigated. The study was conducted by combining a quantitative with qualitative approach. The results indicated that serious attention should be given to professional management of elite netball to ensure that the rewards received counteract the sacrifices of an elite netball career. The biggest challenge in facing netball in South Africa however is the fact that netball is an amateur sport. Strategies were offered and recommendations made on how to effectively manage elite netball players in South Africa. / Prof. J. M. Uys Prof. Cora Burnett-Louw

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