Investigating motivations and emotions in intergroup contact

Intergroup contact, which refers to face-to-face interactions between people from different groups, has been recognised as an effective strategy in improving the relationships and mutual attitudes of majority and minority groups (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006, 2008). Research tends to consider contextual, emotional, and motivational factors of intergroup contact as stable rather than dynamic factors that may change in daily life. Using experience sampling methodology that allows recording daily psychosocial experiences, we examined contextual, emotional, and motivational dimensions of intercultural contact and intracultural contact among majority and minority members in daily life and reported key findings in three empirical chapters. Participants were 112 campus users (from different ethnic backgrounds) of a large regional Australian university including undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff, individuals who were in dual roles (i.e., staff and student), and visitors from the general community.