How do the following play a role in dispute resolution: o Contact o Communication o Cooperation o Conciliation

How do the following play a role in dispute resolution:
o Contact
o Communication
o Cooperation
o Conciliation

1)Contact:

Contact means getting the two groups together. But you might imagine a situation where putting two groups together that are in conflict could just make things worse. Let's ask this question: historically in the US, Blacks and Whites were not allowed to go to school together. But in the 1960s schools were desegregated. Does desegregation improve racial attitudes? As it turns out, yes. Attitudes towards Blacks and other minorities are far less prejudiced now though they were 50 years ago. Although prejudice has not gone away, it is definitely improved. An important element is that there must be equal-status contact. Blacks and Whites in South Africa were always in contact, but the contact was with unequal status. It was not until Black and White status was equalized in South Africa that things began to change.

2) Cooperation:

Cooperation between groups is very important if we want to improve relationships and conflict. But how do we encourage cooperation, or how does it come about naturally?

Cooperation is more likely when we are facing common external threats, such as natural disasters (the Ontario & Quebec ice storm of 1997; Hurricane Juan; White Juan). Yet natural disasters can lead to additional conflict. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the fall 2006, but did not lead to less conflict -- it led to more. The context of the external threat is very important.

Remember we talked about Sherif's experiment where he took two groups of boys and created rival groups? By creating superordinate goals that were important for both groups, he was able to turn these rivals into friends. If you look at this website for Sherif's Robbers Cave study, you will see that Superordinate Goals are very important -- working cooperatively can turn old enemies into friends. That said, there are also cautions to be aware of with respect to the generalization of these effects, as discussed in this website: Simply Psychology.

In attempt to generalize the Sherif findings on superordinate goals, superordinate goals have also been translated into the classroom where cooperative learning has replaced competitive learning (e.g., jigsaw classroom). To see a great example of how cooperative learning works, go to and learn about the jigsaw classroom. Dr. Aronson describes his jigsaw classroom structure, where students learn through cooperation and respect, rather than the competitive model of learning

3) Communication:

Communication is also very important. Bargaining, mediation, and arbitration can play big role in turning win-lose compromises into win-win integrative agreements where both parties benefit. It is important to make the process of unraveling misperceptions work through controlled communications. Again equality of status is very important.

4) Conciliation

One of the key issues in conflict is the willingness to be conciliatory -- in other words we have to be willing to give a little. But you have to be careful, being 100% cooperative is often an ineffective strategy -- you will be taken advantage of.