Samantha Moore-Berg - CGIS South S354

We will be in CGIS South, S354.

Title: Meta-Perceptions Drive Us Apart, But Correcting Them Can Bring Us Together

Abstract: Intergroup conflict is a defining challenge of our time, affecting societies across every region of the world. To build more peaceful and resilient societies, we must better understand and effectively intervene on the psychological processes that fuel these divisions. One powerful psychological mechanism is meta-perceptions, or our beliefs about what other groups think about us and our shared realities. Across countries and contexts, people frequently overestimate how much the opposing groups dislike, dehumanize, or fundamentally disagree with them. These misperceptions can intensify fear, mistrust, and support for exclusionary or even anti-democratic actions.  In my talk, I shift the focus from documenting these misperceptions to identifying actionable strategies for addressing them. I introduce a theoretical framework that classifies meta-perception interventions along two key dimensions: whether they are direct or indirect, and whether they include explicit framing about meta-perceptions or operate without such framing. Using global evidence on meta-perceptions and intergroup attitudes, I examine how different intervention-types function, where they are effective, and the benefits and constraints they entail. By focusing on how meta-perceptions can be strategically targeted and corrected, this talk offers a roadmap for developing psychologically informed interventions that reduce polarization and strengthen intergroup relations.