The Faciliating Effect Of Imagined Positive Intergroup Contact On Intergroup Relations And The Mechanisms Therein

It is an important task to promote ethnic unity and common development in building a harmonious society.Intergroup contact is considered to be one of the most effective psychological strategies to promote intergroup relations.Under the limitation of time,space and other factors,imagined positive intergroup contact has obvious advantages.Previous studies mainly focused on a certain group from a single perspective,but intergroup contact itself is an interaction process among groups,which should be measured by equal and bidirectional degree.In terms of experimental operation,the study of imagined contact should allow both sides of the interactive groups to psychologically simulate intergroup contact simultaneously,and to investigate this simulated contact.However,few studies has conducted such experimental operations.Therefore,based on intergroup theory,this research explores the promotion effect of imagined positive intergroup contact on intergroup relationships and its possible psychological mechanisms by adopting the research methods of questionnaire survey,experiment,etc.Study 1 recruited 528 college students from independent Tibetan classes in a multiethnic mixed university of Northwest China.Using the imagined intergroup contact scale,communal motivation scale,communal security scale,cross-ethnic communication orientation scale,social distance scale,and Tibetan-Han intimacy perception scale it aimed to explore the mechanisms of imagined positive intergroup contact affecting intergroup relationships through the intermediation of communal motivation and communal security.The results showed that:(1)Both Tibetan and Han students imagined significantly more positive intergroup contact than negative intergroup contact.(2)There was no significant difference for Tibetan and Han students between imagined positive intergroup contact and intergroup relations.(3)Among Tibetan and Han students,imagined positive intergroup contact significantly positively predicted intergroup relations.(4)Communal motivation and security partially mediated the effect of imagined positive intergroup contact on intergroup relationships.In Study 2,using a two-factor intergroup design to investigate the effect of imagined positive intergroup contact types and ethnic groups on intergroup relationships,Tibetan and Han students were randomly divided into 4 groups(information learning group,imaginary contact group,information learning and imaginary contact group,and control group).The results showed that(1)imagined positive intergroup contact could significantly promote intergroup relationships.(2)Compared with the other groups,the information and imagined positive group had a higher willingness to interact with each other,and there was no significant difference in ethnic groups;the subjects in the information and imagined positive contact group conceived a closer Tibetan-Han relationship,but there were ethnic differences.(3)Communal security mediated the effect of imagined positive intergroup contact on intergroup relationships,but the mediating effect of communal motivation was not found.This study is of certain positive significance in exploring the relationship among imagined positive intergroup contact,communal motivation,communal security and intergroup relationships:(1)The study of intergroup relations could enrich and improve the application of intergroup contact theory.(2)Through "comprehensive" intervention with cognitive,emotional and behavioral components,this study allows both parties to simulate positive intergroup contact psychologically at the same time,which can provide theoretical basis for social-psychological intervention to promote ethnic unity and improve the quality of intergroup relations,and can also provide practical guidance for promoting positive interaction and communication among students of various ethnic groups in multi-ethnic mixed schools.