REDUCING PREJUDICE THROUGH LATINO/A STANDUP COMEDY: A PARASOCIAL INTERGROUP CONTACT EXPERIMENT

Abstract

AbstractThis study (N = 323) investigated the positive potential for parasocial intergroup contact with Latino/a standup comedians. Building on Schiappa et al.’s (2005) Parasocial contact hypothesis (PCH) and other work, this study aimed to investigate the effects of standup comedy as a unique avenue to engage with performers from another group and how that can result in a decrease in prejudice. This study advances current research by looking at Latino/a comics who have a unique history and tradition (Gracia Student, 2014). This study also examined several different measures that may play a role in prejudice reduction. These include empathy, intergroup anxiety, intergroup threat, and inclusion of other in self (IOS). The results did not reveal significant evidence that parasocial intergroup contact led to a reduction in prejudice. I discussed some of the possible causes and underlying questions surrounding mediated intergroup contact. Keywords: Parasocial, intergroup, comedy, prejudice