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Who Needs Imagined Contact?

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Abstract

Imagined contact is a widely-used methodology for decreasing prejudice. Recently, however, the effectiveness and replicability of imagined contact have been debated. To the extent that imagined contact is theoretically a valuable intervention when actual contact is absent or less feasible, previous intergroup contact experiences presumably moderate the efficacy of imagined contact. The present investigation found that imagined contact effects were stronger among heterosexuals with infrequent (vs. frequent) previous contact with gays, improving their intergroup emotions and attitudes (Study 1, N = 261). In contrast, there were no such effects of imagined contact with Muslims among non-Muslims (Study 2, N = 320). These findings highlight the potential for moderators to impact the efficacy of experimental contact simulations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Original Article
Who Needs Imagined Contact?
Replication Attempts Examining Previous Contact
as a Potential Moderator
Mark R. Hoffarth and Gordon Hodson
Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Abstract. Imagined contact is a widely-used methodology for decreasing prejudice. Recently, however, the effectiveness and replicability of
imagined contact have been debated. To the extent that imagined contact is theoretically a valuable intervention when actual contact is absent or
less feasible, previous intergroup contact experiences presumably moderate the efficacy of imagined contact. The present investigation found
that imagined contact effects were stronger among heterosexuals with infrequent (vs. frequent) previous contact with gays, improving their
intergroup emotions and attitudes (Study 1, N= 261). In contrast, there were no such effects of imagined contact with Muslims among non-
Muslims (Study 2, N= 320). These findings highlight the potential for moderators to impact the efficacy of experimental contact simulations.
Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Keywords: imagined contact, intergroup contact, prejudice, intervention, moderator
Research demonstrates that intergroup contact effectively
decreases intergroup bias (Hodson & Hewstone, 2013; Pet-
tigrew & Tropp, 2006). However, barriers (e.g., segregation,
conflict) can impede person-to-person contact. Mentally
simulating an interaction with an outgroup member (i.e.,
imagined contact) has been proposed to reduce prejudice
in the absence of direct contact (Crisp & Turner, 2013;
Turner, Crisp, & Lambert, 2007). In a 70-study meta-anal-
ysis, imagined contact reduced bias against several out-
groups (overall d= .35, Miles & Crisp, 2014). In
addition, such effects are mediated by decreased intergroup
anxiety and increased intergroup trust (Turner, West, &
Christie, 2013), established mediators of actual contact
(Pettigrew & Tropp, 2008), suggesting psychological simi-
larity (Crisp & Turner, 2013; Husnu & Crisp, 2010; Turner
& Crisp, 2010).
The replicability of psychological findings is hotly
debated following failed replications of frequently-cited,
influential findings (Doyen, Klein, Pichon, & Cleeremans,
2012; Ioannidis, 2012; Simmons, Nelson, & Simonsohn,
2011). With regard to imagined contact, the Many Labs
Project (Klein et al., 2014) conducted 36 imagined contact
replications, considering religious minorities as the target
group. The average effect (d= .13) was statistically signif-
icant but small (see also McDonald, Donnellan, Lang, &
Nikolajuk, 2014, for two failed manipulations). In response,
Crisp, Miles, and Husnu (2014) argue that such findings
suggest the presence of untested moderators, highlighting
the importance of understanding when imagined contact
is (in)effective (see also Crisp & Birtel, 2014). Ideal condi-
tions for imagined contact have been theorized (see Crisp &
Turner, 2009, 2012), with potential moderators of imagined
contact effects examined, including participant age, elabo-
ration level, and prejudice target (Miles & Crisp, 2014;
see also Asbrock, Gutenbrunner, & Wagner, 2013; Hodson,
Dube, & Choma, 2015; Husnu & Crisp, 2010). In the
broader intergroup contact literature, contact reduces bias
more among those higher in prejudice-relevant individual
differences (see Dhont & Van Hiel, 2009; Hodson, 2008,
2011; Hodson, Costello, & MacInnis, 2013; Hodson, Harry,
& Mitchell, 2009) and thus most needing intervention.
Bearing on our inquiry, imagined contact is particularly
useful when person-to-person contact is rare, difficult, or
otherwise absent (Crisp & Turner, 2013; West, Husnu, &
Lipps, 2015). Indeed, imagined contact is primarily
intended for those lacking person-to-person contact, and
may therefore be less effective among those with past con-
tact. We propose that imagined contact is most effective
among those with infrequent person-to-person intergroup
contact.
We replicate a standard imagined contact manipulation
in two online studies, testing previous contact frequency
with outgroup target as moderator, hypothesizing that imag-
ined contact improves intergroup expressions more among
those with infrequent (vs. frequent) contact.
Study 1 Method
Participants
A heterosexual US sample (261 participants, M
age
=38.51,
85% Caucasian, 58% female) was recruited through
Social Psychology 2016; Vol. 47(2):118–124
DOI: 10.1027/1864-9335/a000258
2015 Hogrefe Publishing
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