Observing an ingroup member contact an outgroup member reduces the observer’s intergroup anxiety.

Evidence

These findings support the argument put forward by Wright et al. (1997), namely, that when one observes a fellow ingroup member interacting with an outgroup member, not only is there less immediate anxiety because the observer is not directly involved in the contact situation, but anxiety about future possible intergroup interactions will also be lessened by reducing the fear (affect) and negative expectations (cognition) that tend to cause anxiety prior to actual contact. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1834

Categorization

• XREF: Adds a cognitive-affective mechanism (reduced anticipatory anxiety) to the contact hypothesis literature, connecting to Allport’s extended contact framework and to Paul Milgrom’s work on reduced information costs enabling cooperation.