The Roles of Remote Positive Contact and Reciprocal Intimate Self-Disclosure in Reducing Intergroup Distinctiveness Motives

Abstract

This study investigated intergroup distinctiveness motives (IDM) as a function of experimental manipulations of remote positive contact and reciprocal intimate self-disclosure (RISD). Using a confederate posing as an outgroup member, I predicted that these variables would interact to negatively impact IDM scores. All participants were Christian-identifying university students who previously completed a baseline IDM survey regarding Muslims. This study involved an online essay exchange with an unseen confederate who was posing as a Muslim. The positive contact manipulation involved confederates giving positive (or neutral) feedback for participant essays. There was no main effect of positive contact on IDM scores. The RISD manipulation involved an exchange of essays with content about a private and fond childhood memory. This manipulation also resulted in a null effect on IDM scores. There was no interaction between positive contact and RISD. Several explanations are offered to better understand the null effects.