The nature of negative contact

Abstract

Research on intergroup contact has only recently begun to consider the effects of both positive and negative intergroup contact on intergroup attitudes, and little is known about what factors may differentially influence these effects. We propose that differentiating not only between positive and negative contact (i.e., its valence), but also considering the intensity (i.e., low or high positivity/negativity) of contact valence is critical to understanding the impact of contact on attitudes. We specifically predict that intensifying positivity affects the impact of positive contact to a stronger degree than intensifying negativity affects the impact of negative contact. This hypothesis was supported by evidence from a survey of majority and minority members (N = 2994) including a self-reported measure of intensity, and three experiments (two online: N = 87; N = 169; one in-person: N = 78) including manipulations of intensity and valence. An internal meta-analysis summarizing our results confirmed that varying intensity adds to the effects of positive, but not of negative contact. Intensity of valenced intergroup contact may thus be a key factor to resolve inconsistencies in the current literature on valenced intergroup contact.