Circling Science

Reducing Exclusionary Attitudes through Interpersonal Conversation: Evidence from Three Field Experiments

Joshua L. Kalla and David E. Broockman · 2020

Evidence
Experiment
Kind
Journal article
peer-reviewed
Method
Three preregistered field experiments testing conversations with and without an exchange of personal stories
Sample
6,869 voters and 230 canvassers across seven US locations
Published
American Political Science Review, 114(2), 410–425
Practices
Deep canvassing

Adjacent

Studies a related practice or mechanism, without testing Circling.

Three field experiments found small, persistent reductions in exclusionary attitudes after conversations that included a non-judgemental exchange of personal stories.

What it doesn’t show

Effects on reported attitudes were small, around d = 0.04–0.08. The work does not establish changes in actual discriminatory behaviour or show which psychological mechanism caused the shifts. Its structured persuasion settings do not represent every kind of dialogue. All outcomes were answers to surveys.

Summary based on the abstract and the author manuscript’s intervention descriptions, results and discussion.

Directions that build on it

  1. Active ingredients

    Builds on 10 works · 3 funding routes

    Which parts of the practice do the work: present-moment attention, disclosure, or hearing how you affect others?

Links

Cite

Kalla, J. L., & Broockman, D. E. (2020). Reducing Exclusionary Attitudes through Interpersonal Conversation: Evidence from Three Field Experiments. American Political Science Review, 114(2), 410–425. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055419000923