Location
Multi-item scale:
Pettigrew, T.F. (2008). Future directions for intergroup contact theory and research. International Journal of
Intercultural Relations ,32, 187/C0199.
Single-item scale:
Barlow, F. K., Paolini, S., Pedersen, A., et al. (2012). The contact caveat: Negative contact predicts increased
prejudice more than positive contact predicts reduced prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin ,38,
1629/C01643.
Results and Comments
Stephan and colleagues’ (2000) negative experience measure has demonstrated good internal consistency and
construct validity across several samples. Conceptually speaking, a number of the Stephan items could be distin-
guished as unique constructs in their own right, for example, measures of discrimination experiences (e.g.,
Broman, Mavaddat, & Hsu, 2000 ) show significant content overlap with items such as ‘being treated with less
respect than others’. It is arguable that ‘discrimination’ and ‘negative contact’ represent two labels for the same
fundamental experience. To this end, multi-item measures of negatively valenced contact, such as Stephan and
Stephan’s (2000) inventory, have the potential to reveal possible subordinate dimensions of negative contact (e.g.,
active versus avoidant discrimination), but until the construct validity of these scales can be established, we
would advise selecting the measure whose research pedigree relates most directly to the question at hand. In
general, the Stephan et al. scale provides a valid and reliable psychometric test when negative contact is being
treated as a stand-alone construct.
Negative contact is, however, not always treated as an isolated variable. Aberson and Gaffney (2008) , for
example, included measures for both positive and negative contact. Treating positive and negative contact as
related but opposing constructs not only necessitates careful content matching of their respective scales (see
above), but also invites questions as to the possible ‘magnitude asymmetry’ between positive and negative items.
To illustrate, a negative contact scale assessing frequency of physical violence, for example, represents a more
extreme experience than an ostensibly equivalent positive contact measure of feeling ‘welcomed by’, or ‘receiving
help from’ the outgroup. In Aberson and Gaffney’s (2008) study for example, the experience-based negative con-
tact scale was used alongside a measure of contact quality with close outgroup friends. While Aberson and
Gaffney do not claim equivalence between their two valenced contact measures, their study serves to highlight
this particular issue for the comparison of positive and negative contact.
When comparison is required, we would recommend the use of some kind of valenced contact scale, such as
that offered by Pettigrew’s (2008) . However, the valenced contact scales presented here require some improve-
ment. Pettigrew’s scale produces notably lower alpha scores than previous measures and several of its items also
show a high degree of conceptual overlap with outgroup emotions. Pettigrew’s scale does, however, benefit from
experience items that seem reasonably matched in terms of intensity.
As an alternative, the two Barlow et al. (2012) single items of valenced contact avoid measuring specific (and
thus potentially non-comparable) experiences. It should be noted, though, that single-item measures forego much
of the richness of data that characterizes the experiential measures, and are limited in their use if any kind of
latent variable modeling is intended. As with any questionnaire study, researchers should choose the measure of
negative contact which most readily suits the hypothesis they wish to test. Finally, in making the above recom-
mendations we would highlight the fact that although the studies discussed here have provided some correla-
tional evidence as for convergent and divergent validity of their constructs, none has presented explicit tests of
these criteria. This is clearly an imperative for future research.
VALENCED CONTACT (MULTI-ITEM SCALE)
Negative contact
1.How often has a foreigner pestered you?
Now think about encounters with foreigners in
Germany. How often have you experienced the
following feelings ...2. ...angry
3. ...irritated
4. ...fearful
Scored from: 1 5never ,25sometimes ,35often,
45very often665 OVERVIEW OF THE MEASURES
VI. SOCIOCULTURAL INTERACTION AND CONFLICT