Fighting stigma-based bullying in primary school children: An experimental intervention using vicarious intergroup contact and social norms

In this theory-driven experimental field intervention, we used vicarious intergroup contact, a popular prejudice-reduction strategy, to fight stigma-based bullying. We focused on the role of peer norms, manipulated by asking participants to work individually or collectively in reinforcing activities following vicarious contact (operationalized as story reading). Participants were 346 Italian 4th-5th grade primary school children (48% females). Participants were allocated to a 2 (Target: outgroup vs. ingroup vicarious contact) × 2 (reinforcing activities: collective vs. individual) experimental design. Results revealed that outgroup (vs. ingroup) vicarious contact was indirectly associated with greater intentions to react to name-calling and socially exclusionary behavior (two common forms of bullying) toward foreign children, only when participants collectively negotiated responses to reinforcing activities.