Testing the contact hypothesis interculturally: contact between Asian international and domestic students in New Zealand

Abstract

Inter-group relation has long been considered as a central issue in social science. Based on the wisdom and effort of contemporary social psychologists, the Contact Hypothesis (Allport, 1954) suggests that contact under the correct conditions between members of different groups should improve harmony between groups and reduce prejudice and negative stereotypes. In the last half century, the Contact Hypothesis has been successfully used to improve attitudes towards different ethnic and social groups. In recent years, however, the Contact Hypothesis has been frequently challenged for its applicability to inter-cultural relations. The context of inter-cultural contact is becoming complicated with the rapid progress of globalization. New immigrants and sojourners have spread all over the world. New factors; such as language barriers, cultural clash, and acculturation; have emerged. The current research examines the effectiveness of the Contact Hypothesis in this context. It consisted of two studies. Firstly focus group interviews, as a qualitative pilot study, included both New Zealand local students (n=18) and Asian international students (n=23) living in residential halls. It indicated that language barriers and cultural distance inhibit motivations, actions, and effects of inter-cultural contact between Asian international students and New Zealand students. Secondly a field study, based on the Contact Hypothesis, was conducted (n=30). A De-Categorization Model and a Salient Categorization Model were also compared to test the role of group identity in predicting the effects of inter-cultural contact. Students enrolled in a psychology class for credit were paired with Asian international student volunteers in a series of three meetings. Overall, there was no positive effect of inter-cultural contact; in fact, listening to lectures in the social psychology of prejudice and discrimination improved attitudes towards Asian international students significantly, while inter-cultural contact did not. Only 18 of 30 pairs completed all three scheduled meetings, because of a variety of reasons including miscommunication and lack of time by the Asian internationals. In accord with the De-Categorization Model, the results showed the effects of inter-cultural contact to be moderated by identity salience, with low identity salience during contact associated with positive overall final attitudes towards Asian students. Recommendations for successful inter-cultural contact are discussed.