Both sides of the coin: the impact of imagined intergroup contact on intergroup attitudes in minority and majority groups

The contact hypothesis states that intergroup contact improves intergroup attitudes and decreases prejudice (Allport, 1954). However, there are gaps in the current literature that the present thesis will aim to address. Firstly, most of the intergroup contact literature has focused on examining positive contact and its effects, while negative contact and its potentially harmful and destructive consequences have been overlooked. Secondly, the focus of contact literature has been placed on reducing prejudice from the majority group’s perspectives, while neglecting the minority perspective. Therefore, the current study will examine both negative and positive contact and its impact on majority and minority groups. White (majority group members; n = 68) and Asian (minority group members; n =66) people in Australia were exposed to negative, neutral or positive contact between a White and Asian Australian dyad. Results indicated that positive contact increased evaluations of the outgroup actor and willingness to be friends with the outgroup actor, while negative contact elicited the opposite effect. These patterns did not extend to anti- White or anti-Asian racism. Results revealed that for Asian participants, however, negative contact reduced anti-Asian racism, but did not impact on collective action intentions. Taken together, there were mixed support for the present study’s hypotheses. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed