Intergroup Contact Hypothesis Research Articles

Self-initiated expatriates in China: multicultural personality traits, frequency of interaction and host country nationals’ satisfaction with SIE performance

Drawing from socioanalytic theory and intergroup contact hypothesis, this study investigates the relationship across self-initiated expatriates’ (SIEs’) multicultural personality traits and host country nationals’ (HCNs’) satisfaction with SIE performance in China. Findings based on dyadic matched data from 101 SIEs and HCN co-workers suggest that four of the multicultural personality traits (cultural empathy, flexibility, social initiative, emotional stability) are positively related to HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance. Only SIEs’ open-mindedness did not exert an influence on HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance. Furthermore, frequency of interaction between the SIE and their HCN co-worker moderated the relation between two of the multicultural personality traits (cultural empathy, emotional stability) and the outcome variable. Analyses imply that if frequency of interaction is low, cultural empathy and emotional stability exert a stronger influence on HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance. Our findings contribute to the existing literature by providing deeper insights into the dynamics of expatriate personality and working conditions and how they inform HCNs’ satisfaction with SIE performance.

An Exploration of Student Perception Toward Interprofessional High-Fidelity Clinical Simulation.

Interprofessional education is recognized for its potential for collaboration and teamwork, reflecting clinical practice; however, existing literature for simulation-based interprofessional education does not include Physician Associate (PA) students. This initiative aimed to explore the students' perception of interprofessional clinical simulation for PA students and allied health professional (AHP) students as part of our program development. A high-fidelity simulation session was designed and conducted for volunteering students from the PA, paramedic science, and physiotherapy courses. We used a mixed-method electronic questionnaire consisting of 15 statements rated on a numerical rating scale (0-5) and four open-ended questions with unlimited free-text responses to explore student perceptions. Inductive thematic analysis was used for qualitative analysis. The session design was underpinned by Allport's (intergroup) contact hypothesis with an emphasis on mutual intergroup differentiation. Forty-six students participated in the simulation teaching, with 48% (n = 22) providing feedback. Overall student perception was mainly positive toward the interprofessional simulation; however, some barriers to learning were recognized. Based on the evaluation of our initiative and existing literature, we propose 5 top tips to promote an effective learning experience for students. (1) Understand the importance of interprofessional collaboration. (2) Establish clear roles. (3) Plan the scenarios in advance. (4) Maintain equal status between groups. (5) Provide clear instructions and expectations. To our knowledge, this is the first study of high-fidelity interprofessional simulation involving PA and AHP students. We successfully explored student perception which highlighted aspects that can impact learning. This pilot study demonstrated that interprofessional simulation is a feasible and acceptable form of learning for our students and highlighted how to improve future interprofessional simulation teaching sessions.

Intergroup Contact Is Associated with Less Negative Attitude toward Women Managers: The Bolstering Effect of Social Dominance Orientation.

This cross-sectional study examined the intergroup contact hypothesis in the workplace by enrolling 150 Italian employees. Within the framework of social dominance theory, the purpose of this study was to test the assumption that individuals with higher levels of social dominance orientation are more likely to exhibit prejudice against women in managerial positions and benefit more from intergroup contact with a female supervisor. In particular, we found that individuals with higher levels of social dominance orientation exhibited more negative attitudes towards women in manager positions, but this effect only appeared when their superiors were women, as opposed to men. In addition, participants with higher social dominance orientation experienced more positive outcomes from intergroup contact, resulting in less negative attitudes toward women managers, than those with lower social dominance orientation. Overall, these findings yield insights into how intergroup contact affects individuals with prejudice tendencies, indicating that contact with the targeted group (i.e., women in managerial positions) is negatively associated with negative attitudes towards the group, even when the prejudice is driven by social dominance orientation. These results could shed light on new routes to design practical intervention aimed at solving prejudice towards women in leadership roles.

Self-Perceptions of Aging Among Young Adults Who Had Close Contact with a Grandparent

ABSTRACT The present study aims to understand young adults’ self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and the way their SPA would form throughout close contact with a grandparent, guided by the intergroup contact hypothesis. Fourteen young adults participated in a semi-structured interview for this study. They were ages 18 to 39 and had experienced at least one year of close contact with a grandparent. Thematic analysis of the interviews generated four overarching themes: (1) dichotomous prospects of the older self; (2) intangible resources considered essential for older adulthood; (3) grandparent setting an example of older adulthood; and (4) SPA formed by life events, others’ aging, and physical appearance.

The Evolution of Anti-Blackness in the American South: How Slavery and Segregation Perpetuates the Victimization of Black People

Objectives: Drawing on the “legacy effect” framework and the intergroup contact hypothesis, this study examines whether 1) slavery is associated with anti-Black hate crimes, 2) racial segregation is associated with anti-Black hate crimes, and 3) racial segregation moderates the relationship between slavery and anti-Black hate crimes. Methods: Using several data sources, including the 1860 and 2000 U.S. Census and the 2000-2016 Uniform Crime Report, negative binomial regressions are employed to explore these research questions. Results: In support of the “legacy effect” and intergroup contact hypothesis, the findings from the analyses reveal that both slavery and racial segregation are significantly associated with increases in anti-Black hate crimes. Moreover, the relationship between slavery and anti-Black hate crimes is amplified by racial segregation. Conclusions: The results from this research suggest that historical practices and institutions, such as slavery, can influence the contemporary maltreatment of Black citizens. Specifically, the racism and discrimination inherent in slavery has manifested in the form of modern-day anti-Black hate crimes. Additionally, the relationship between slavery and anti-Black hate crimes is amplified when racial segregation prevents racial and ethnic groups from building meaningful relationships that could demystify the culture of Black inferiority created by the institution of slavery.

The Role of Outgroup Network in the Choice of Migration Destination: Evidence from Turkey

We analyse the association between cultural contact and international migration decision drawing on the inter-group contact hypothesis. Using data on Turkish migrant stock in 22 countries and immigration from these countries to Turkey between 2000 and 2015, we find a strong association between the Turkish community's size and migration flow of host country nationals to Turkey. Our results are robust to country-specific and year-specific effects as well as to exclusion of different channels of cultural contact. Our research brings a new perspective to the importance of networks in migration destination as most research focuses on the presence of in-group national community in the target country. Our findings contribute to the improvement of extant theories of international migration providing insight in the role of cultural contact with the out-group in the choice of migration destination.

Intergroup contact and conflict in a climate of exclusion: An interview study in the ethnically super‐homogenous German town of Bautzen

AbstractWhile most Germans reacted welcoming toward newly arrived refugees in 2015 and 2016, parallelly overt hateful reactions such as hate crimes, social exclusion, and increasing right‐wing electoral support have been registered all over Germany with several regions emerging as “hot spots” in these regards. Among them was our case, the mid‐sized town of Bautzen in the state of Saxony, where intergroup conflict and violent clashes between locals and refugees caused news headlines. To analyze intergroup conflicts in the ethnically super‐homogenous context of Bautzen, we performed a qualitative interview study. More specifically, we conducted 48 semistructured interviews with residents and members of the victimized outgroup of refugees. Our analysis reveals that the societal basis of intergroup conflict in Bautzen seems to be a distinct climate of exclusion aimed at tagged outgroups. Refugees report facing everyday discriminatory practices and even violence. Further, this specific local climate is facilitated by several Bautzen‐specific characteristics on the macro level, such as low number of foreigners and high levels of right‐wing electoral support. Our findings suggest that limited diversity and widespread stereotypes affect locals' reactions toward and perception of refugees. We discuss our results in light of the intergroup contact hypothesis and encourage more qualitative research on the nexus of intergroup contact and intergroup conflict.

Intergroup Contact and Social Distance Hypothesis: Australian University Students’ Views on Islam and Muslims

Australian and other Western survey research on intergroup contact, commonly referred to as “social distance”, has generally focused on negative attitudes and emotions as measures of prejudice. The current research, by contrast, investigates the level of social contact mainstream (non-Muslim) students in six Australian universities favor towards Muslims, as compared with other ethnicities. Three measures were used to test this proposition: intermarriage, friendship, and neighborhood. The findings revealed that acceptance of other ethnicities/religions as opposed to Muslims was higher than that of their parents. However, the gap narrows significantly between participants and their parents on the following two measures: “going out with” and “marrying” Muslims. Secondly, on the measures of “going out”, “being friends” with, and “marrying” someone from other ethnicities/religions, participants responses were more favorable than those conveyed towards Muslim groups. We suggest that future research is extended to measure other variables, namely gender, children of Muslim–Christian intermarriage, and the post effects of the shooting incidents in Christchurch on 15 March 2019.

Virtual contact hypothesis: Preliminary evidence for intergroup contact hypothesis in interactions with characters in video games

This paper examines intergroup contact hypothesis in interactions in video games to conceptualize how intergroup contact with characters in games may relate to attitudes toward minorities. Intergroup contact hypothesis states that intergroup contact leads to more positive attitudes and stereotype reduction. It also specifies situational factors that promote or hinder such an outcome. In an online survey a sample of 1627 gamers stated games they played the most and filled out a questionnaire measuring their attitudes toward minorities. Independent judges assessed games that were played by most participants (N = 44 games). A multilevel regression analysis revealed that average quality of contact with minorities in a game (measured at game-level, as a characteristic of a game) was associated with higher acceptance of minorities of the players (measured at individual level). Diversity of the game world generated by fictional races had no significant connection to attitudes. Game-level predictors largely increased fit to the data showing that game worlds were significant for the acceptance of minorities. The results supply preliminary evidence for the validity of the intergroup contact hypothesis for the interactions with characters in video games.

Multilingualism and Ethnic Prejudice

Abstract. This study explored the relationship between the ability to talk to others in more than one language and ethnic prejudice, considering the quality and quantity of intergroup contact. A structural equation model analysis was carried out on a sample of 631 Italian citizens. The results showed that multilingualism led to an increase of acceptance of intergroup differences and positive attitudes toward Moroccans and that the quality (but not quantity) of intergroup contact-mediated those relationships. The mediating role of the quality of intergroup contact extends previous results on the relationship between multilingualism and positive attitudes toward ethnic out-groups. These findings are important from a scientific point of view, as they enrich the conditions of the intergroup contact hypothesis.

Re-examining public opinion preferences for migrant categorizations: “Refugees” are evaluated more negatively than “migrants” and “foreigners” related to participants’ direct, extended, and mass-mediated intergroup contact experiences

Although migrant categorizations (e.g. “migrants”, “refugees”) are often conflated in political and academic discourse, they may be ascribed to different people and inspire different preferences in public opinion. Previous research in Western Europe has identified more positive attitudes toward “refugees” than toward “migrants” due to the legitimate need for international protection of “real refugees” compared to the perceived illegitimate claims by “economic migrants”. However, little evidence suggests that the same preference also exists in Eastern European countries that have historically received smaller numbers of refugees and had fewer frequent experiences with migrants and foreigners compared to West European countries. Moreover, the term “refugee” was intensively recategorized as “bogus” and de-legitimized in East European political discourse. To provide new evidence, we conducted a pre-registered comparative survey-based study with a sample of young Slovak adults (N = 873) to compare evaluations of three commonly used migrant categorizations in Slovakia -- “refugees”, “migrants”, and “foreigners” -- on multiple attitudinal and behavioural measures. In addition, we also tested the intergroup contact hypothesis about the relationship between participants’ evaluations and their experiences of direct, extended, and mass-mediated contact with these target groups. We found that “refugees” invoked less favourable feelings, attitudes, trust, and greater social distance compared to “migrants” and “foreigners”. These evaluations related to the valence (and less to the quantity) of participants’ experience of intergroup contact. These results challenge previous findings about public opinion preferences for “refugees” over “migrants”, support the intergroup contact hypothesis, and make a case for a more contextualized research.

The Effect of Affect: Friendship, Education and Prejudice in India

Intergroup relations are fundamentally based on the idea of ‘us’ and ‘them’, and this categorization has driven political loyalties and social ties in India, particularly the relations between Hindus and Muslims. Contemporary nationalist politics have often combined patriotic love for the country along with suspicion of minorities, particularly the Muslims. Given the history of tense relations between the Hindus and Muslims, the role of positive intergroup relations becomes paramount in sustaining peace among the groups. Based on Allport’s intergroup contact hypothesis, this article tests whether having a Muslim friend reduces prejudicial attitude among Hindus. Additionally, the article also tests the notion of education being a harbinger of liberal values and its role in reducing prejudice. The results indicate that having a Muslim friend is significantly correlated with a more positive outlook towards the Muslim community, but education does not reduce prejudice.

Digital destigmatization: How exposure to networking profiles can reduce social stereotypes

Previous research on intergroup contact examined whether mediated and non-mediated interactions with outgroup members can ameliorate attitudes toward this outgroup. Today, intergroup encounters, though, can also occur in a more passive form, for instance, browsing through an outgroup member's social media profile. This study investigates the effects of passive intergroup contact via social networking services for three distinct stigmatized groups (people with physical disabilities, schizophrenia, and transgender individuals). In an experiment (N = 1047), participants viewed a social media profile displaying a person's daily life experiences with either cues of a membership in a stigmatized group or not. Results indicated a small improvement of outgroup-related attitudes after intergroup contact. Contact effects, however, were contingent on whether participants perceived similarities with the profile owner. Findings are discussed in light of the intergroup contact hypothesis and its application to contemporary communication technologies.

Searching for a Silver Lining: Mediated Intergroup Contact and Mental Health Perceptions

This study investigated viewer responses to characters from Silver Linings Playbook, a movie about characters dealing with mental illness, from the perspective of mediated intergroup contact hypothesis. Researchers tested if identification with fictional characters with mental illness reduced viewers’ negative stereotypes about mental illness and increased their willingness to support people with the same illnesses as the characters. Additionally, empathy was tested as a mediator between identification and stereotype reduction. One hundred forty-five participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 character conditions. The hypotheses associated with identification and stereotypes and intentions were partially supported. For two characters, empathy mediated the relationship between identification and negative stereotypes. Implications for mediated portrayals of health issues and behaviors are discussed.

The Role of Political Ideology in Public Opinion toward Enumerated Antibullying Policies in Public Schools

AbstractAll 50 U.S. states now have some type of Antibullying law on the books, and since the initial passage of these bills, many states are now moving into the next phase of policy implementation by reforming and updating their initial legislation. While the initial adoption phase in most states was of low salience and noncontroversial for the public, there is now a more politically divisive debate surrounding the topic: enumerating the laws to protect specific groups. We discuss the use of Antibullying policies around the country along with the political debate over enumeration. Empirically, we examine public attitudes toward adding enumerated protections to existing Antibullying laws for various groups. Using a survey experiment from the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we find that public support for enumeration depends on both the group characteristics considered for protection and individuals' ideology.Related ArticlesGarner, Andrew. 2013. “Ambivalence, the Intergroup Contact Hypothesis, and Attitudes about Gay Rights.” Politics & Policy 41 (2): 241‐266. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12010Nevbahar, Ertas. 2015. “Policy Narratives and Public Opinion Concerning Charter Schools.” Politics & Policy 43 (3): 426‐451. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12120Smith‐Walter, Aaron, Holly L. Peterson, Michael D. Jones, Ashley Nicole, and Reynolds Marshall. 2016. “Gun Stories: How Evidence Shapes Firearm Policy in the United States.” Politics & Policy 44 (6): 1053‐1088. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12187

Meeting a nice asylum seeker: Intergroup contact changes stereotype content perceptions and associated emotional prejudices, and encourages solidarity-based collective action intentions.

Intergroup contact can improve majority members' perception of minorities. Integrating the intergroup contact hypothesis with the stereotype content model and BIAS-Map, we hypothesized that positive intergroup contact improves German majority members' evaluations of asylum seekers on the warmth and competence dimensions. Using cross-sectional survey data and structural equationmodelling, we found support for this hypothesis (Study 1a, N=182). Warmth and competence perceptions, in turn, predicted specific intergroup emotions (Study 1b, N=255). A causal effect of intergroup contact on changes in stereotype content, emotions, and solidarity-based collective action intentions as an important facilitative behavioural intention debated in the intergroup contact literature is established with experimental data (Study 2, N=74). Participants interacting with an asylum seeker rated asylum seekers higher on warmth and specific intergroup emotions and were more supportive of solidarity-based collective actions in favour of asylum seekers. Our study demonstrates that contact has differential effects on cognitive, affective, and behavioural components of prejudice towards asylum seekers that are systematically linked.

Culturally Inclusive and Responsive Curricular Learning Environments (CIRCLEs): An exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach

Cultural inclusion, cross-cultural openness, and positive intergroup relationships are essential considerations as schools are becoming increasingly multicultural because of shifting demographic patterns in the U.S. We explored Arab/Arab-American (ArA) Chaldean (Chal), African American (AfA) and European American (EuA), student perspectives on Culturally Inclusive and Responsive Curricular Learning Environments (CIRCLEs) through the theoretical lenses of culturally relevant/sustaining pedagogy, social identity and social categorization theories, and the intergroup contact hypothesis utilizing an exploratory sequential mixed-method research design. In Phase 1 we conducted focus group interviews (N = 57) in 12 culturally diverse middle schools with 114 ArA, 41 Chal, 48 AfA, and 100 EuA students. Students discussed their school experiences focusing on interactions with teachers and peers, the curriculum, and school policies. Phase 1 informed the development of the CIRCLE measure in Phase 2. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of CIRCLE items supported the generalizability of a hierarchical first and second order structure of the measure (CIRCLE) and its subscales across ArA (977), Chal (244), AfA (270), and EuA (1423) student groups. Analyses of the interviews and CFA results indicate that cultural self-other awareness and openness to different ways of thinking and being among teachers and students, through sensitively designed culturally inclusive curricula and school policies and programs responsive to student diversity is an educational imperative.

Intergroup contact and its right-wing ideological constraint

ABSTRACTThis paper extends previous intergroup contact research by examining how face-to-face interaction relates to opposition to immigration across the mass-level ideological divide. Opposition to immigration refers to calls for restrictive immigration policies. Analyses show: a) that intergroup contact is associated with less opposition to immigration and b) that political ideology moderates this association. More specifically, rightists do not generalise their positive contact experiences to the same extent as leftists. Right-wing ideological values clearly constrain the outcomes of intergroup contact, suggesting that contact situations involve active value and belief defense. Additional robustness analyses also show that the moderating role of political ideology is stronger in superficial contact settings than in intimate arrangements involving friendship. The ideologically-constrained intergroup contact hypothesis is tested using a fixed-effects regression analysis of the 2014-European Social Survey (Round 7), which includes 21 countries and 32,196 individuals. The concluding section discusses the broader implications of our findings.

Becoming interculturally competent: Theory to practice in international education

Education abroad students are generally expected to return home with enhanced intercultural competence; however, recent research reveals that many do not fully benefit from their stay in the host environment and experience little or no gains in intercultural sensitivity. What steps can be taken to help achieve the intercultural aims of international educational experience? This article centres on an elective, credit-bearing course that was inspired by my education abroad research. Intercultural Transitions: Making Sense of International Experience has been designed to enrich and extend the intercultural learning of undergraduates with recent or current international experience. This credit-bearing course draws on multiple theories: the Intercultural Development Continuum/the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, Kolb's experiential learning model, poststructuralist notions of identity change, transformative adult education theory, and the intergroup contact hypothesis. This article describes the course and the lessons learned from multiple offerings. Content analyses of the qualitative data (e.g., reflective essays, Forum chats, open-ended surveys, interview transcripts) generally mirrored the results of the pre- and post-administrations of the Intercultural Development Inventor (IDI), a psychometric instrument that measures intercultural competence, suggesting that this form of intervention helps propel students to higher levels of intercultural competence. The results underscore the benefits of designing a research-driven, learner-centred curriculum to enhance interaction between local and international students, and scaffold deeper intellectual consolidation and integration of intercultural learning. While developed and offered in an Asian setting, similar courses could be implemented in other settings to enhance the intercultural competence of both local and international students.

Applying Intergroup Contact Theory to the Sport Management Classroom

Allport’s (1954) intergroup contact hypothesis states that interactions with members of an out-group, particularly of a different racial and/or ethnic group, are effective in changing attitudes about diversity (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998). In this study, the intergroup contact hypothesis was applied to the design of a sport management course. The classroom component focused the role of sport in education, health, and leadership development, and the application was structured sport and physical activity programming with school-age children at several urban sites. Data were gathered from 91 college students over 3 years about course-related experiences and how the students’ backgrounds influenced their social identities and understanding of out-group members. Results showed that intergroup contact effectively assisted in developing understanding and cooperation and reducing negative attitudes between groups. The participants received diversity education, via intergroup contact, both inside and outside the classroom, which will potentially equip them to take proactive strategies when managing organizational diversity in the sport industry.