WISE INTERVENTIONS

Eight French high schools were randomly assigned to have posters emphasizing diversity among Arabs displayed on classroom walls and outside the principal’s office for two weeks, or to have no such posters. The posters depicted individual Arabs with heterogeneous characteristics balanced in valence (e.g., “optimistic,” “stingy”) and included the slogan, “What makes us the same—is that we are all different.” Several weeks later, students in treatment schools, as compared to students in control schools, (1) reported thinking that Arabs are more variable; (2) showed less in-group bias, viewing Arabs and French as more similar in traits (egoistic, aggressive, and hardworking); (3) showed less social distance from Arabs, e.g., reporting greater acceptance of being supervised by an Arab person and less discomfort dancing with one; (4) showed less prejudice, as assessed by the Modern Racism Scale adapted so Arab-Muslims were the target group; and (5) were more willing to sign a petition supporting reduced discrimination against Arabs 61.1% vs. 31.3%). (for related laboratory studies, see Brauer & Er-rafiy, 2011; Brauer, Er-rafiy, Kawakami, & Phils, 2012; see also Er-rafiy & Brauer, 2012).