Do They Dislike Us As Much As We Think? IntergroupContact As A Potential Rectifier Of Meta-AttitudeInaccuracy In Intergroup Settings

Intergroup meta-attitude inaccuracy—the mismatch between how ingroup membersthink the outgroup views them and how the outgroup actually does—fuels intergrouphostility. Yet, little is known about what predicts this inaccuracy. In Part I, Iexamined whether and how intergroup contact predicts meta-attitude (in)accuracyacross three conflictual contexts: Black/White British in the UK, Turks/Kurds inTurkey, and Catholics/Protestants in Northern Ireland. Across all groups, individualstended to overestimate negative outgroup evaluations. Positive contact predictedgreater meta-attitude accuracy, via enhanced shared reality, which was associatedwith more positive outgroup attitudes. However, negative contact and affectivemediators (e.g., anxiety, fear) showed inconsistent effects depending on group andcontext. Part II tested strategies to reduce meta-attitude inaccuracy. Studies 5 (N= 555) and 6 (N = 447) examined the effects of mass-mediated contact (positive intergroupinteraction videos) compared to informational feedback and control videosin interracial (Black–White Americans) and political (Democrats–Republicans) contexts.Study 7 tested direct contact using the Minimal Group Paradigm among universitystudents (N = 88). Mass-mediated contact successfully reduced inaccuracyacross most groups—except Republicans, who developed overly positive misperceptions.These findings highlight that mass-mediated strategies may offer scalable,low-cost tools for reducing intergroup misperceptions.