Positive and Negative Intergroup Contact: Interaction not Asymmetry

This research reports a novel investigation into the comparative effects of positive and negative direct and extended intergroup contact on intergroup orientations. It tested the generality of the positive-negative asymmetry effect among the host majority (N = 357) and Polish immigrants (N = 101) in Iceland. Iceland has a small population, and in-depth research on discrimination and status of immigrants is scarce. However, some evidence exists that attitudes towards Poles, Iceland`s largest immigrant group, are somewhat negative. Little evidence of asymmetry was observed: the beneficial effects of positive contact were mostly as strong as the detrimental effects of negative contact, for both direct and extended contact. However, evidence was found for alternative interaction models in which positive contact buffers the negative effects of negative contact, and negative contact enhances the benefits of positive contact. These interaction effects were found only for direct contact and principally in the majority group, but were also found for the minority group, though more weakly. However, in the minority sample tentative evidence of a more troubling pattern was found whereby negative contact reduces the beneficial effects of positive contact, and positive contact enhances the detrimental effects of negative contact. No interaction was observed for extended contact. It appeared that differential group salience elicited by positive and negative contact could contribute to the explanation of the observed effects, at least in the majority sample. We conclude that considering the interplay between positive and negative contact is crucial for understanding contact effects and their real-life consequences.