INTERGROUP CONTACT BETWEEN PROFESSIONAL GROUPS - 2 EVALUATION STUDIES

We report two studies which evaluate practically-oriented programmes o f interprofessional contact involving doctors and social workers. The evaluation is based on the 'contact hypothesis' in intergroup relation s, and highlights four sets of dependent measures: background percepti ons, ingroup and outgroup ratings, knowledge, and judgements about wor k with outgroup partners and experienced contact. Consistent with the contact hypothesis, both studies revealed an improvement in outgroup a ttitudes, evidence of mutual intergroup differentiation (acknowledged superiority of ingroup and outgroup on independent dimensions), and in creased outgroup knowledge. Greater change in Study 2 is interpreted i n terms of its longer duration, and the opportunity it provided for co ntact with multiple outgroup members, compared with a single outgroup partner in Study 1. These findings from field studies are consistent w ith results from published laboratory experiments.