Future directions for intergroup contact theory and research

Intergroup contact theory and research has received renewed interest in recent years. And this new work has led to rapid advances. This paper summarizes this progress and points to four future directions for further advances. (1) There is a continuing need to specify the processes of intergroup cont...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of intercultural relations 2008-05, Vol.32 (3), p.187-199
Main Author: Pettigrew, Thomas F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cross-group friendship
Intergroup contact
Prejudice
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Intergroup contact theory and research has received renewed interest in recent years. And this new work has led to rapid advances. This paper summarizes this progress and points to four future directions for further advances. (1) There is a continuing need to specify the processes of intergroup contact that explain its many effects. This is a call for continued efforts to determine the many mediators and moderators that are involved. (2) A greater focus upon negative contact is required. Cross-group interaction that leads to increased prejudice has not been studied systematically. (3) Rather than just a situational phenomenon, intergroup contact needs to be placed in a longitudinal, multilevel social context. (4) Finally, more direct applications to social policy are needed in which intergroup contact is viewed within specific institutional settings. Preliminary data analyses illustrate the points.
ISSN:0147-1767
1873-7552
DOI:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2007.12.002