Negative intergroup contact makes group memberships salient: explaining why intergroup conflict endures

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Intergroup Relations
• Social Cognition

Background:

• The intergroup contact model posits positive contact reduces prejudice.
• Self-categorization theory explains group identification and intergroup bias.
• Existing research has not fully explored the differential impact of contact valence on category salience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the novel hypothesis of a valence-salience effect in intergroup contact.
• To investigate whether negative contact leads to higher category salience than positive contact.
• To examine the implications of this effect for intergroup relations and generalization.

Main Methods:

• A laboratory experiment involving interethnic contact among White Australians (N = 49).
• A two-wave experimental study of retrieved intergenerational contact among American young adults (N = 240).
• Measurement of category salience through descriptions of contact partners and self-reported salience during contact.

Main Results:

• Negative nonverbal behavior during interethnic contact increased ethnicity salience among White Australians.
• Negative intergenerational contact increased age salience and predicted increased episodic and chronic category salience over time.
• Some evidence for a reverse salience-valence effect was observed.

Conclusions:

• Negative intergroup contact appears to enhance category salience more than positive contact.
• This valence-salience effect may bias intergroup contact towards worsening intergroup relations.
• Findings have implications for theories of intergroup contact and policy interventions aimed at improving intergroup harmony.