Positive-negative asymmetry of intergroup contact: A dynamic approach

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While positive intergroup contact has been shown to reduce prejudice, negative contact has the potential to worsen intergroup relations. Yet little is known about the interaction between positive and negative contact, especially in diverse settings where individuals are frequently exposed to both types of contact. We provide a novel and comprehensive investigation into the positive-negative asymmetry of contact (PNAC) effect - the contention that negative contact exerts stronger effects on various outcomes than positive contact. We seek to understand the net impact of a mix of both positive and negative intergroup contact, at dyadic, network and contextual levels, how and when such effects arise, and the possible consequences of the interaction between positive and negative contact. In a series of studies involving both ethnic majority and minority participants, and using different methodological paradigms, we seek to test three plausible outcomes: buffering (i.e., positive contact attenuates detrimental effects of negative contact), augmentation (i.e., negative contact augments the impact of positive contact), and poisoning (i.e., negative contact reduces the impact of positive contact) effects. Using diary, experimental, longitudinal survey, and social network studies, along with a large-scale social intervention, this research further examines key mediating and moderating processes that help explain the joint impact of positive and negative contact on intergroup relations.