The Contact Caveat: Negative Contact Predicts Increased Prejudice More Than Positive Contact Predicts Reduced Prejudice
Barlow, Fiona, Paolini, Stefania, Pedersen, Anne, Hornsey, Matthew J., Radke, Helena R.M., Harwood, Jake, Rubin, Mark, and Sibley, Chris G. (2012) The Contact Caveat: Negative Contact Predicts Increased Prejudice More Than Positive Contact Predicts Reduced Prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38 (12). pp. 1629-1643.
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Abstract
Contact researchers have largely overlooked the potential for negative intergroup contact to increase prejudice. In Study 1, we tested the interaction between contact quantity and valence on prejudice toward Black Australians (n = 1,476), Muslim Australians (n = 173), and asylum seekers (n = 293). In all cases, the association between contact quantity and prejudice was moderated by its valence, with negative contact emerging as a stronger and more consistent predictor than positive contact. In Study 2, White Americans (n = 441) indicated how much positive and negative contact they had with Black Americans on separate measures. Although both quantity of positive and negative contact predicted racism and avoidance, negative contact was the stronger predictor. Furthermore, negative (but not positive) contact independently predicted suspicion about Barack Obama’s birthplace. These results extend the contact hypothesis by issuing an important caveat: Negative contact may be more strongly associated with increased racism and discrimination than positive contact is with its reduction.
| Item ID: | 80784 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1552-7433 |
| Copyright Information: | © 2012 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc Reprints and permission:sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav |
| Funders: | Australian Research Council (ARC) |
| Projects and Grants: | ARC Discovery Early Career Research Award (DE120102068), Australian Research Council grant (DP0770704), Australian Research Council grant (DP1093654) |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Jul 2024 02:45 |
| FoR Codes: | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5205 Social and personality psychology > 520505 Social psychology @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280121 Expanding knowledge in psychology @ 100% |
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