Intergroup Contact and Personal and Cultural Stereotypes in Intercultural Relations: A Case of the Stereotype Content in Moscow for Belarusians, Chinese, Uzbeks, and Chechens

Abstract

The authors use the Stereotype Content Model to consider the relationship between positive and negative intergroup contact and personal and cultural ethnic stereotypes. The introduction poses the theoretical foundations through defining acculturation and adaptation, and also outlining their relationship with stereotypes and intergroup contact in the context of intercultural relations. The empirical part examines intergroup contact and ethnic stereotypes in Moscow about Belarusians, Chinese, Uzbeks, and Chechens with a gender-balanced sample consisted of 316 ethnic Russians aged 16 to 68 (34 years on average). Three competing hypotheses about the correspondence of valence of intergroup contact and stereotypes were considered: (1) constant valence asymmetry; (2) usefulness of stereotype-inconsistent information; (3) epistemic defense. As a result in linear mixed models that (1) personal stereotypes were more positive than cultural ones; (2) however, they were located relative to each other in accordance with the quadrants of cultural stereotypes; (3) intergroup contact was associated with personal stereotypes in the direction according to the valence of the contact; (4) no evidence for interaction between negative contact and cultural stereotypes, whereas the beneficial effect of positive contact was stronger for those ethnic groups with more negative cultural stereotypes. It was concluded that personal experience has only limited scope for improving an already positive attitude, or worsening a negative one. Therefore, only a social policy aimed at changing cultural stereotypes might be efficient.