In Someone Else’s Shoes Promoting Prosocial Behavior Through Perspective Taking

Produced by: 
The World Bank
Available from: 
November 2021
Paper author(s): 
Marisol Rodríguez Chatruc
Sandra V. Rozo
Topic: 
Demographic Economics - Migration
Poverty - Inequality - Aid Effectiveness
Year: 
2021

Can taking the perspective of an out-group reduce prejudice and promote prosociality? Building on insights from social psychology, this paper studies the case of Colombian natives and Venezuelan immigrants. This was done by conducting an online experiment in which natives were randomly assigned either to play an online game that immersed them in the life of a Venezuelan migrant or to watch a documentary about Venezuelans crossing the border on foot. Relative to a control group, both treatments increased altruism towards Venezuelans and improved some attitudes, but only the game significantly increased self-reported trust.

ACCESS PAPER

Research section: 
Latest Research
Share this