Testing the association of positive and negative extended contact with intergroup contact intentions in China: The mediating role of intergroup anger, empathy, and happiness

Abstract

A large corpus of research has investigated extended contact and its psychological mechanisms. However, research taking into account the valence of extended contact, as well as the psychological mechanisms underlying the effects of negative extended contact, is lacking. We examined the associations of Chinese people with rural origins’ (N = 1287) positive and negative extended contact with contact intentions toward Chinese people with urban origins. Three affective variables (empathy, happiness, and anger) were tested as mediators. Results revealed that the associations of positive and negative extended contact with contact intentions were mediated by empathy, happiness, and anger. This research highlights the importance of examining both positive and negative extended contact as well as affective variables as extended contact mediators.