Becoming friends or remaining foes: An empirical test of a causal model of intergroup contact across two cultures

This study examined the antecedents and consequences of intergroup contact between African Americans and White Americans. In Triandis's [(1992). Paper presented at the meeting of the international congress of psychology, Brussels, Belgium; Triandis, Kurowski, & Gelfand (1994). Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 4, 2nd ed.) (pp. 769-827). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press] model for dealing with cultural diversity, culturally based perceptions (i.e., perceptions of knowledge of outgroup culture, history of conflict, and cultural similarity) were hypothesized to influence perceptions of similarity. This, in turn, was hypothesized to influence (dis)satisfaction with the contact experience. Satisfaction with contact was predicted to influence intergroup attitude, and desire for future interactions. In a test using structural equations modeling, the model received support, although some model modifications by group were necessary. For White Americans, perceived cultural similarity influenced intergroup attitude directly through contact, in addition to the hypothesized effects through contact. For African Americans, contrary to expectation, perceived history of conflict failed to predict intergroup attitudes through perceptions of similarity. Instead, perceived history of conflict influenced intergroup attitude directly. Results are discussed with respect to dominant and non-dominant status, and the need for universal and culture-specific models of intergroup contact.