Beware of "reducing prejudice": imagined contact may backfire if applied with a prevention focus

West, Keon and Greenland, Katy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0096-2851 2016. Beware of "reducing prejudice": imagined contact may backfire if applied with a prevention focus. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 46 (10) , pp. 583-592. 10.1111/jasp.12387

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Abstract

Imagined intergroup contact—the mental simulation of a (positive) interaction with a member of another group—is a recently developed, low-risk, prejudice-reducing intervention. However, regulatory focus can moderate of the effects of prejudice-reducing interventions: a prevention focus (as opposed to a promotion focus) can lead to more negative outcomes. In two experiments we found that a prevention focus altered imagined contact's effects, causing the intervention to backfire. In Experiment 1, participants who reported a strong prevention-focus during imagined contact subsequently reported higher intergroup anxiety and (indirectly) less positive attitudes toward Asians. We found similar moderating effects in Experiment 2, using a different outgroup (gay men) and a subtle regulatory focus manipulation. Theoretical and practical implications for imagined contact are discussed

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Publisher:	Wiley Blackwell
ISSN:	0021-9029
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 July 2016
Date of Acceptance:	2 May 2016
Last Modified:	25 Nov 2024 21:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/92746

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