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Does contact reduce prejudice or does prejudice reduce contact? A longitudinal test of the Contact Hypothesis amongst majority and minority groups in three European countries

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 18:44 authored by Jens Binder, Hanna Zagefka, Rupert Brown, Friedrich Funke, Thomas Kessler, Amélie Mummendey, Annemie Maquil, Stephanie Demoulin, Jacques-Philippe Leyens
A widely researched panacea for reducing intergroup prejudice is the contact hypothesis. However, few longitudinal studies can shed light on the direction of causal processes: from contact to prejudice reduction (contact effects) or from prejudice to contact reduction (prejudice effects). The authors conducted a longitudinal field survey in Germany, Belgium, and England with school students. The sample comprised members of both ethnic minorities (n = 512) and ethnic majorities (n = 1,143). Path analyses yielded both lagged contact effects and prejudice effects: Contact reduced prejudice, but prejudice also reduced contact. Furthermore, contact effects were negligible for minority members. These effects were obtained for 2 indicators of prejudice: negative intergroup emotions and desire for social distance. For both majority and minority members, contact effects on negative emotions were stronger when outgroup contacts were perceived as being typical of their group. Contact effects were also mediated by intergroup anxiety. This mediating mechanism was impaired for minority members because of a weakened effect of anxiety on desire for social distance. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

ISSN

0022-3514

Issue

4

Volume

96

Page range

843-856

Pages

14.0

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2012-02-06

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