Negative Contact

Question 1

What Happens During Conflict When You Have Negative Experiences?

Answer 1

1: Exposure to violence increases realistic threat
2: Exposure to violence increases psychiatric morbidity
3: Increase intergenerational PTSD and mental health problems

Question 2

Valence asymmetry effects:

Answer 2

General psychological phenomenon that negative stimuli tend to have greater impact than positive stimuli of similar intensity

Question 3

How Might Negative Attitudes Propogate? (Skydiving Example)

Answer 3

• Negative stimuli more likely to be avoided
• Leaves the negative attitude unchallenged providing neither support for or against the evidence for the negative attitude

Question 4

Severe Positivity Bias in Contact Literature (2 Issues):

Answer 4

• 1: negative contact is rarely measured
• 2: positive - negative contact are seen as opposite ends of the same spectrum
  
  • The absence of positive contact is taken as evidence for the presence of negative contact

Question 5

Differences between Negative Contact effects versus Positive Contact effects (Obama’s Birthplace Example)

Answer 5

• Negative contact is consistently stronger
• These results can be replicated in different contexts

Question 6

What might explain the discrepant effects of Negative Contact effects versus Positive Contact?

Affect-matching hypothesis:

Answer 6

Affect-matching hypothesis:
- Negative contact better predict negative outcomes
- EX: Feelings of fear, anger
- Positive contact better predict positive outcomes
- EX: Feelings of happiness, optimism

Question 7

Positive-Negative Assymetry: Instead of asking which is the more powerful predictor….

Answer 7

• Does previous positive (negative) contact affect future negative (positive) contact?
• Part of reconciliatory efforts is to bring groups back into contact with each other

Question 8

EX: having positive outgroup contact, but then two weeks later, having negative outgroup contact - Does prior positive contact REDUCE OR AUGMENT the effect of subsequent negative contact? (2)

Answer 8

• REDUCE: having that prior positive contact, you think that this negative contact is just a special case (subtyping)
• Negative contact ~ prejudice = smaller correlation
• AUGMENT: going in expecting positive experience and this negative experience surprises you - so surprising that you feel vulnerable after “trust” is broken
• Negative contact ~ prejudice = larger correlation

Question 9

EX: having negative outgroup contact, but then two weeks later, having positive outgroup contact - Does prior negative contact REDUCE OR AUGMENT the effect of subsequent positive contact? (4)

Answer 9

• Does prior positive contact REDUCE the effect of subsequent negative contact?
  Negative contact ~ prejudice = smaller correlation
• Does prior positive contact INCREASE the effect of subsequent negative contact?
  Negative contact ~ prejudice = smaller correlation
• Does prior negative contact POISON the effect of subsequent positive contact?
  Positive contact ~ prejudice = smaller correlation
• Does prior negative contact INCREASE the effect of subsequent positive contact?

Question 10

HOW DOES POSITIVE/NEGATIVE CONTACT AFFECT EVENTUAL POSITIVE/NEGATIVE CONTACT - ANSWER: (2)

Answer 10

• Prior positive contact buffers against the detrimental effects of negative contact
• Prior negative contact increases the beneficial effects of positive contact

- POS. = LOWERS BAD EFFECTS
- NEG. = INCREASES GOOD EFFECTS

Question 11

What is the issue with negative contact? (2)

Answer 11

• Associated with lower perceived self-efficacy in contact scenarios
• Avoidance of future contact for multiple outgroups

Question 12

How Concerned Should We Be About Negative Contact?

Answer 12

• VERY
• Negative contact stunt future positive contact opportunities
• Negative contact, however, is relatively rare