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Know thy enemy: Education about terrorism improves social attitudes toward terrorists
Jordan Theriault1, Peter Krause2, Liane Young1
1Department of Psychology.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. General
|January 13, 2017
Summary
Education can reduce extreme negative attitudes toward terrorists, improving counterterrorism policy. Learning about terrorism may dilute negative associations and encourage critical evaluation of the term.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Sociology
Background:
- Hatred of terrorists hinders effective counterterrorism policies by promoting retaliation.
- Traditional prejudice reduction strategies are ineffective for addressing hatred of terrorists.
- Understanding terrorist motivations is key to successful counterterrorism efforts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of education in reducing extreme negative attitudes toward terrorists.
- To investigate whether learning about terrorism can mitigate negative associations with the label 'terrorist'.
- To assess the impact of educational interventions on prosocial attitudes towards hypothetical terrorists.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted, involving college students in a course on terrorism (treatment) and control groups.
- Attitudes toward a hypothetical terrorist were measured before and after the educational intervention.
- The studies utilized a quasi-experimental design with treatment and control classes across multiple universities.
Main Results:
- Students in the terrorism course showed significantly improved attitudes toward a hypothetical terrorist compared to control groups.
- The educational intervention led to a decrease in extreme negative reactions evoked by the label 'terrorist'.
- The positive effect on attitudes was observed even when the course did not explicitly aim to reduce prejudice.
Conclusions:
- Educational interventions can effectively reduce extreme negative attitudes towards terrorists.
- Learning about terrorism may "crowd out" initial negative associations, leading to more nuanced views.
- Reducing extreme negative reactions to terrorism is crucial for implementing effective counterterrorism policies.
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