When Arabs and Jews Watch TV Together: The Joint Effect of the Content and Context of Communication on Reducing Prejudice

While previous research has examined the effect of the content and context of communication on the communication experience and effect, this study explored their interactive effect with an eye to reducing stereotypes and prejudice. In an experiment, Israeli Jews watched a movie about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that was edited to be either pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli in the company of either a Jew or an Arab confederate coviewer. We then measured their attitudes toward Arabs. We found an effect of both movie type and the coviewer's ethnicity on stereotypes as well as an interactive effect of these variables, mediated by the identification of the participants with the Arab protagonist.