Media, Psychology, and Conflict

Abstract: This symposium examines how media exposure, framing, stereotypes, and interpersonal communication shape political attitudes and intergroup perceptions in contexts of conflict. Drawing on experimental and survey data, the symposium brings together five studies that investigate psychological mechanisms underlying support for militant policies, boundary maintenance, and prospects for conflict mitigation within the Israeli–Palestinian and related conflictual settings. The papers in this panel explore how individuals respond to news avoidance, counterstereotypical media framing, gendered representations of refugees, and political dialogue. Together, the studies illuminate how media environments and communicative contexts influence optimism, threat perception, stereotyping, persuasion, and polarization. The studies included in this panel highlight the value of experimental and polling approaches for understanding intergroup relations in conflict. They show how subtle differences in framing, representation, and communicative goals can meaningfully alter political attitudes and intergroup boundaries, with implications for media interventions and dialogue initiatives. By integrating insights from different methodologies and scholarly approaches, the symposium advances empirical understanding of how media and communication can shape conflict dynamics and opportunities for de-escalation.

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