The Details Bring Us Closer: Mere Presence of Concrete Construal Promotes More Empathic Intergroup Perspective-Taking Outcomes

Authors:

Abstract: Past research has found that intergroup perspective-taking can promote more harmonious intergroup relationships but also backfire under certain conditions. Integrating work on perspective-taking and construal-level theory, we found that the mere presence of a concrete construal when taking the perspective of an outgroup member experiencing discrimination promoted more empathetic perspective-taking outcomes. Study 1 revealed that a higher trait concrete construal was associated with more supportive attitudes toward institutional gender parity efforts and efforts to increase women’s representation in historically male-dominated fields. Study 2 experimentally examined this effect and found that participants who adopted either a concrete or ambidextrous (both concrete and abstract) construal mindset when perspective-taking reported greater feelings of warmth toward the outgroup perpetrator compared to those who adopted an abstract construal mindset, and also demonstrated more empathetic reactions toward the target’s experiences. Study 3 (in progress) examines possible mediators (e.g., individuation) underlying findings from Studies 1 and 2.

Track: DEI

Keywords: bias, intergroup relations, intervention, perspective-taking, construal level theory