TY - JOUR
T1 - The “Wallpaper Effect” Revisited
T2 - Divergent Findings on the Effects of Intergroup Contact on Attitudes in Diverse Versus Nondiverse Contexts
AU - Schmid, K.
AU - Wölfer, Ralf
AU - Swart, Herman
AU - Christ, Oliver
AU - Al Ramiah, Ananthi
AU - Vertovec, Steven
AU - Hewstone, Miles
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, © 2017 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - This article reexamines the so-called “wallpaper effect” of intergroup contact, which contends that for minority group members living in areas more densely populated by majority group members, intergroup contact fails to reduce prejudice. We tested this claim in five studies, using data from five countries, two types of contexts, a range of measures, and involving different minority versus majority groups. Using multilevel cross-level interaction models, we considered whether effects of contact on outgroup attitudes were moderated by relative outgroup size. Results failed to replicate the previously reported findings, revealing, by and large, nonsignificant cross-level moderation effects; instead, we witnessed consistent positive contact effects on attitudes. Findings are discussed against the backdrop of recent research on the consequences of diversity, as well as context-based considerations regarding minority versus majority constellations. We also discuss some exceptions to our findings that emerged for some respondent groups and contexts across the five studies.
AB - This article reexamines the so-called “wallpaper effect” of intergroup contact, which contends that for minority group members living in areas more densely populated by majority group members, intergroup contact fails to reduce prejudice. We tested this claim in five studies, using data from five countries, two types of contexts, a range of measures, and involving different minority versus majority groups. Using multilevel cross-level interaction models, we considered whether effects of contact on outgroup attitudes were moderated by relative outgroup size. Results failed to replicate the previously reported findings, revealing, by and large, nonsignificant cross-level moderation effects; instead, we witnessed consistent positive contact effects on attitudes. Findings are discussed against the backdrop of recent research on the consequences of diversity, as well as context-based considerations regarding minority versus majority constellations. We also discuss some exceptions to our findings that emerged for some respondent groups and contexts across the five studies.
KW - diversity
KW - intergroup contact
KW - outgroup attitudes
KW - outgroup size
KW - wallpaper effect
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85026665049&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0146167217711929
DO - 10.1177/0146167217711929
M3 - Article
C2 - 28903684
AN - SCOPUS:85026665049
SN - 0146-1672
VL - 43
SP - 1268
EP - 1283
JO - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
JF - Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
IS - 9
ER -