PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

This research examines music encounters as a hitherto unexplored type of intergroup contact intervention. We tested the short- and mid-term effects of German Polish music encounters that either took place in Germany or in Poland, respectively, on German's attitudes toward Poles. Ninety-nine German participants completed a questionnaire one week before the encounter (t(0)), directly thereafter (t(1)), and four weeks later (t(2)). The control group (N= 67) did not take part in any music encounter and completed the measures twice (to and t(2)). Results revealed that attitudes toward the Polish out-group improved sustainably, but only when the encounter took place in Poland. In contrast, for encounters realized in Germany, no attitude change occurred. Implications of these findings are discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.