Intergroup Anxiety in Interracial Interaction: The Role of Prejudice and Metastereotypes

Abstract

Intergroup contact is known to promote positive intergroup relations. However, in natural settings race groups tend to self-segregate. Prejudice and metaperceptions are hypothesized to act as barriers to mixing. The experiment reported in this article investigates the role of prejudice and metastereotypes in producing the intergroup anxiety experienced in a simulated contact situation. The experiment was replicated at three different universities and involved different combinations of race groups. Participants believed that they were communicating in an Internet chatroom with two other students, who were either of the same or of a different race to themselves. Participants’ level of prejudice and degree of negative metastereotypes were both found to be predictors of the intergroup anxiety experienced in this interaction, with metastereotypes emerging as more important. The implications of these results for addressing negative intergroup relations in South Africa are discussed.