Intergroup contact: An integration of social psychological and communication perspectives

This chapter examines the literature on intergroup contact from a communication perspective. The basic idea of intergroup contact theory-that contact between groups reduces prejudice-is presented. Research examining this idea from a communication perspective is described and integrated with the large social-psychological body of work. We focus first on direct, face-to-face contact between members of different groups. We then discuss various forms of indirect contact including vicarious, extended, imagined, and computer-mediated forms of contact. Finally, we present an extended research agenda for the field of communication to contribute to what is fundamentally a communicative event.