Perceived Variability as a Video-Media Prejudice Reduction Intervention

Abstract

Perceived variability is a relatively unexplored prejudice reduction approach. We developed a new intervention and tested it in two pre-registered experiments—in field and online laboratory settings. Across both experiments, we found that the intervention did not reduce prejudice. As expected, higher perceived variability correlated with lower prejudice. However, the correlations were weak and markedly lower in the higher-powered online laboratory trial. Overall, these results indicate that perceived variability may have limited scaling potential due to low adaptability and effectiveness. Exploratory analyses indicated that effects of the intervention did not substantially differ across age, gender, and education.

Acknowledgements

This research was completed as part of a PhD program undertaken at Monash University, supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program and Australia Post. The authors would like to thanks Gilda Good for the filming and editing of the intervention videos.

Notes

1 Link: https://osf.io/dxf9z

2 The Blau index is the probability that two randomly selected persons in a geographical area (i.e., by postcode) will speak a different language. It is calculated as $\mathit{Blau}=1-\sum p_k^2$, where $p_k^2$ is the probability of randomly selecting two people who both speak language $k$ at home. A higher value indicates higher diversity in that geographical area. Language spoken at home data was obtained from the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census.

3 Stimulus materials available upon request to lead author.

4 Link: https://osf.io/zme3t