May
24th,
2018
A paper written with Monica Ferrìn and Teresa Cappiali. You can find it here.
Growing research focusing on the psychological reactions to terrorism by citizens finds that terrorist attacks perpetrated by individuals belonging to Muslim minorities increase negative attitudes towards those perceived as the ”outgroup”, and especially immigrants and refugees. However, few attempts have been made so far to assess the short-term impact of these attacks. While we know that immediate emotional reactions are deemed to cause stereotyping effects in the days following traumatic events (as a result of coping mechanisms by individuals reacting to a perceived threat), we need more research to assess how long this effect endures. By means of a quasi-experimental before-after design based on the Manchester bombing of May 22, 2017, we ask whether the stereotyping effect occurs, and whether it fades away after a few days. We present evidence consistent with the stereotyping effect hypothesis, but we also show the role of temporality: while the effect is strong and significant in the first 3 days after the attacks, it disappears after 4-7 days. These findings suggest that the emotional, immediate reactions that trigger stereotyping processes right after a terrorist attack are reabsorbed after a few days as a result of rational processing. </div>
Growing research focusing on the psychological reactions to terrorism by citizens finds that terrorist attacks perpetrated by individuals belonging to Muslim minorities increase negative attitudes towards those perceived as the ”outgroup”, and especially immigrants and refugees. However, few attempts have been made so far to assess the short-term impact of these attacks. While we know that immediate emotional reactions are deemed to cause stereotyping effects in the days following traumatic events (as a result of coping mechanisms by individuals reacting to a perceived threat), we need more research to assess how long this effect endures. By means of a quasi-experimental before-after design based on the Manchester bombing of May 22, 2017, we ask whether the stereotyping effect occurs, and whether it fades away after a few days. We present evidence consistent with the stereotyping effect hypothesis, but we also show the role of temporality: while the effect is strong and significant in the first 3 days after the attacks, it disappears after 4-7 days. These findings suggest that the emotional, immediate reactions that trigger stereotyping processes right after a terrorist attack are reabsorbed after a few days as a result of rational processing. </div>
