Fighting prejudice through imitation

www.eurekalert.org

Public release date: 3-Oct-2011
Contact: Michael Inzlicht
University of Toronto Scarborough
Fighting prejudice through imitation
Asking white people to mirror the movements of a black person lowers their levels of implicit prejudice

New research shows that you can reduce racial prejudice simply by having a person mimic the movements of a member of the race he or she is prejudiced against. The method may work by activating brain mechanisms that contribute to feelings of empathy.

Normally, when we watch another person perform an action, our brain activity changes as we mentally simulate the other person. But the brain activity is less strong when we're watching people from other racial groups, and is least strong among people who are prejudiced against the racial group.

Michael Inzlicht, professor in the department of psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) and affiliate faculty at the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto, wondered if he could turn that around. If prejudice reduces mental simulation, can physical simulation, or mimicry, reduce prejudice? It turns out that it can.

"We've shown that when p

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tags: racism, racial discrimination
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