Background
Interprofessional Education (IPE) research has traditionally been grounded in Contact Hypothesis theory (Allport, 1954), with emphasis on improving intergroup attitudes and teamwork. However, less attention has been given to the cognitive mechanisms through which contact influences attention and learning. Drawing on predictive coding accounts, the Integrating Neuroscience and Social Psychology in Researching Interprofessional Education (INSPIRE) Framework (Schenke et al., under review) proposes that prior (implicit) predictions about content, context, individuals, and professional groups shape what learners attend to, how information is interpreted, and what is retained during IPE sessions.
Aim:
To examine whether prior group-based information influences attitudes, attention, and learning during a simulated Interprofessional education session.


Methods:
Psychology undergraduates participated in a dementia-care interprofessional education simulation in which expertise information about professional groups was experimentally manipulated. Visual attention was measured using eye-tracking, attitudes via validated questionnaires, and learning via multiple-choice recall tests.


Results:
In Study 1 (n = 48), attitudes were more positive, and more attention was paid to information purportedly from students with expertise in the topic compared to those without and improved intergroup attitudes, though no significant effect on recall was observed. In Study 2 (n = 74), attitudes were, again, more positive towards 'expert' students, additionally more information was recalled from these students than those without expertise in the topic.


Conclusions:
These findings provide the first empirical support for the INSPIRE framework, demonstrating that prior information relating the expertise influenced attention, attitudes and recall. These findings suggest that shaping learners' expectations before interprofessional contact may be a practical lever for improving both attitudinal and learning outcomes.
Keywords: Interprofessional education; prior group information; attention; recall; intergroup attitudes
Reference:
Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice.