Extended contact effects: is exposure to positive outgroup exemplars sufficient or is interaction with ingroup members necessary?
Previous research does not inform us if exposure to positive outgroup exemplars is sufficient to explain the observed prejudice reduction effect of extended contact or if interaction with ingroup members is necessary. An experiment (N = 108) in which Romanian students read identical stories about the friendship between a Roma and a Romanian/Bulgarian found that, while information about close outgroup-outgroup relationships is sufficient to improve outgroup attitudes and reduce intergroup anxiety, information about close ingroup-outgroup relationships has stronger and broader positive effects. Mediational analyses revealed that group emotions rather than intergroup anxiety, ingroup norms, or outgroup norms mediated the effect of extended contact on outgroup perception. A core affect perspective of group emotions is used to explain the results.
Petru Maior University, N. Iorga St. 1, Târgu Mures 540088, Romania. vasilecernat@rdslink.ro
Vasile
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Cernat
D000293:Adolescent; D002031:Bulgaria; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011287:Prejudice; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012056:Reinforcement, Social; D006178:Romani People / Q000523:psychology*; D012383:Romania; D012925:Social Conformity; D012933:Social Identification; D013240:Stereotyping; D055815:Young Adult