The Dark Side of Indirect Cross-Group Contact: Implications for Collective Action

Although engaging in direct cross-group contact can improve intergroup attitudes, recent research has shown that these interactions may have unintended consequences for low-status group members’ collective action intentions (e.g., Wright & Baray, 2012). However, research has shown that indirect forms of contact can also improve intergroup attitudes, but to date no research has examined the impact of indirect contact on collective action orientation for both high-and low-status group members. Findings of the current research suggest that for both high-and low-status group members there is an indirect negative impact of observing a high-quality cross-group interaction on collective action, which is partially mediated by group-based anger. The lack of a direct effect suggests that there are one or more variables that served to suppress this effect, raising the possibility that indirect cross-group contact may have both empowering and disempowering effects on collective action.