from .71 ( Tausch, Tam et al., 2007 , Study 1) to .73 ( Tausch, Hewstone et al., 2007 ). For the contact quality scale,
while it appears that four-item adaptations exhibit alpha coefficients ranging from .82 ( Voci & Hewstone, 2003 ,
Study 2) to .86 ( Tausch, Tam, et al., 2007 , Study 2), a two-item short version of this measure ( α5.79;Tausch,
Hewstone et al., 2007 ) may be adequate in surveys where space for survey items is limited (e.g., representative
samples).
In a two-wave longitudinal study, the Binder, Zagefka, and Brown (2009) three-item adaptation of Islam and
Hewstone’s (1993) contact quality measure exhibited Cronbach alpha coefficients at the first wave ( α5.71) and
six months later at wave two ( α5.73).
Test/C0Retest
Binder et al. (2009) reported a six-month test /C0retest correlation of r5.52 for their three-item adaptation of
Islam and Hewstone’s (1993) contact quality scale.
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
Numerous studies (that used adapted versions of these measures) have reported a significant positive correla-
tion between contact quantity and quality ranging from r5.36 (Tausch, Hewstone et al., 2007; Voci & Hewstone,
2003 , Study 1) to r5.49 (Tausch, Tam et al., 2007 , Study 2). Binder et al. (2009) reported that their three-item mea-
sure of contact quality correlated significantly ( rtime 15.51, rtime 25.47) with their two-item measure of cross-
group friendships (see next section). Islam and Hewstone (1993) reported significant positive correlations
between their contact quantity measure and perceived outgroup variability ( r5.55) as well as between their con-
tact quality measure and outgroup attitudes ( r5.57; see also Tausch, Tam et al., 2007 ).
Divergent/Discriminant
Measures of contact quantity can generally be distinguished (via low, and often non-significant correlations)
from ingroup identification (e.g., r5/C0.14;Tausch, Hewstone et al., 2007 ), perceived symbolic threat (e.g., r5/C0.09;
Tausch, Tam et al., 2007 , Study 1), and intergroup anxiety (e.g., r5/C0.09;Tausch, Tam et al., 2007 , Study 2).
Similarly, measures of contact quality can be distinguished from ingroup identification (e.g., r5/C0.11;Tausch,
Tam et al., 2007 , Study 1), and perceived relative group status (e.g., r5.10;Tausch, Hewstone et al., 2007 ).
Construct/Factor Analytic
Islam and Hewstone (1993) subjected their CQCQ items to a principal components analysis with varimax rota-
tion ( N5131) and reported that each individual item was loaded significantly by its respective factor (loadings
for contact quantity factor $.76; loadings for contact quality factor $.52). While there was evidence for some
item cross-loadings (largest cross-loading 5.56), the general pattern of factor loadings supported the hypothe-
sized factor structure. This pattern of relationships was evidenced for both the Hindu and Muslim respondents.
Criterion/Predictive
Islam and Hewstone (1993) reported that contact quantity was significantly associated with more positive
explicit outgroup attitudes ( β5.12), more perceived outgroup variability ( β5.46), and less intergroup anxiety
(β5/C0.23). Islam and Hewstone’s (1993) measure has also been shown to have an impact on physiological and
neurological reactions to outgroup members (e.g., Blascovich et al., 2003, Study 3). Islam and Hewstone (1993)
found that contact quality predicted lower intergroup anxiety ( β5/C0.52) and more positive explicit outgroup atti-
tudes ( β5.48). Other studies have found contact quality to be predictive of lower intergroup anxiety ( β5/C0.68
and/C0.45), and perceived realistic ( β5/C0.28 and /C0.30) and symbolic ( β5/C0.40 and /C0.31; e.g., Tausch, Tam et al.,
2007 , Study 1 and Study 2, respectively) threats, as well as predictive of blatant ( β5.20) and subtle ( β5.12; e.g.,
Ma¨ho¨nen, Jasinskaja-Lahti, & Liebkind, 2011 ) outgroup attitudes.
Location
Islam, M.R., & Hewstone, M. (1993). Dimensions of contact as predictors of intergroup anxiety, perceived out-
group variability, and outgroup attitude: An integrative model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19 ,
700/C0710.655 OVERVIEW OF THE MEASURES
VI. SOCIOCULTURAL INTERACTION AND CONFLICT