Thursday 26 June 2014

Visiting speaker: Shenel Husnu Raman, Eastern Mediterranean University

TitleIntergroup and Imagined Contact: Promoting Peace in Cyprus

Time: Wednesday July 2, 12:00, room CG01.

Abstract:
Intergroup bias can be seen in children as young as early and middle childhood. The aim of the following two studies was to reduce intergroup prejudice in children in the interethnically divided context of Cyprus. In study 1, 82 Turkish Cypriot children aged between 6-11 were administered a questionnaire which asked questions regarding their national identity, outgroup attitudes toward Greek Cypriots, outgroup intentions, and contact with Greek Cypriots (i.e. prior contact, extended contact, and familial story-telling). Turkish Cypriot children reported high national identification, ingroup favouritism and outgroup prejudice toward Greek Cypriots. Outgroup attitudes mediated the relationship between prior contact measures and intentions toward future contact. Building from these findings, study 2 used a story reading intervention to reduce prejudice toward contact with Greek Cypriots in 28 Turkish Cypriot children aged between 6-10 in a pre-post intervention design. After three consecutive weeks of listening to stories of friendship and cooperation, outgroup attitudes and intentions improved. The findings will be discussed in the context of promoting peace in Cyprus.

Bio:
Dr. Shenel Husnu Raman
BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD in Social Psychology PGCertHE, CPsychol

Shenel Husnu Raman obtained her B.Sc. in Psychology and M.Sc. in Social Psychology from Middle East Technical University, Turkey and her Ph.D. from the University of Kent, UK. She worked at Kent as a part-time lecturer until moving to the University of Derby as a Lecturer.  In 2011 she joined the Department of Psychology at Eastern Mediterranean University, North Cyprus where she became chairperson in 2013. Dr. Raman teaches a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level including research methods, psychology of prejudice and advanced statistics. Her research is in the field of intergroup relations, mainly prejudice reduction.