Negative Intergroup Contact
So far in this course, we’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on the effects of positive contact (both direct and indirect forms of intergroup contact). This emphasis reflects a broader positivity bias in the literature on intergroup contact. For instance, in Pettigrew and Topp’s (2006) impressive meta-analysis of over 700 students on intergroup contact, fewer than 5% of the studies included a measure of negative intergroup contact. This glaring gap is somewhat surprising given that, historically, Allport and Williams both agreed that not all types of contact reduced prejudice, as illustrated by this quote from Allport in his seminal book, The Nature of Prejudice
It has sometimes been held that merely by assembling people without regard for race, color, religion or national origin, we can thereby destroy stereotypes and develop friendly attitudes. The case is not so simple. (Allport, 1954, p. 261)
