Interracial prison contact: The pros for (socially dominant) cons

Individuals high in social dominance orientation (SDO; ) endorse group hierarchies and social inequality. Surprisingly little research has addressed contextual factors associated with reduced intergroup biases among such individuals. The present investigation considers a Person × Situation approach to this question in two British prisons, exploring the contextual factors outlined in the Contact Hypothesis (). White inmates scoring higher in SDO exhibited significantly less in‐group bias when reporting increased contact with Black inmates (Studies 1 & 2), when perceiving that favourable contact conditions are institutionally supported (Study 1), or when experiencing more pleasant personal interactions with Black inmates (Study 2). These SDO × Contact Condition moderation effects were mediated in Study 2: among high‐SDO individuals, increased empathy towards Black inmates mediated the relation between contact variables and lower in‐group bias. Implications for considering individual differences and empathy in contact settings are considered.