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STUDY 1

In the first study, we tested the effect of imagined contact on group-based emotions subject to participants’ levels of RWA and SDO. [...]

Participants and Design Data were collected from 123 self-identified Germans in a web-based experiment. Participants were [...] randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions (imagined contact vs. control) and completed the experiment on their computers at home. Three individuals were deleted [...], leaving a remaining sample of N= 120 (50 male, 69 female, 1 unidentified; M_age = 31.81, SD_age = 10.74).

Procedure [...] First, participants provided demographic information and completed RWA and SDO scales. Then, they were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental conditions. [...] The instruction in the experimental condition read as follows: [Text Stimulus A]. In the control condition, participants were instructed to think of taking a nice and relaxing walk in a forest during spring. [...] Subsequently, participants were asked to write down some details about the situation as a further reinforcement of the imagery task. [...]

Measures

Right-Wing Authoritarianism Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) was assessed with the 12-item RWA3 D scale by Funke [...]. Responses to this and to all following measures were submitted on scales ranging from 1 (don’t agree at all) to 7 (agree completely).

Social Dominance Orientation Social dominance orientation was measured with a German 12-item SDO scale by Cohrs and Asbrock [...].

STUDY 2

In our second study, we aimed at replicating and extending our findings in a laboratory setting. [...]

Participants and Design Participants were 86 self-identified German university students, mostly majoring in psychology. They were recruited from a participant pool and randomly assigned to one of the three experimental conditions. [...] One participant was identified as a multivariate outlier through Cook’s distances and was deleted, leaving a remaining sample of N = 85 (15 male, 70 female; M_age = 23.04, SD_age = 4.14).

Procedure Right-wing authoritarianism and SDO were measured 6 months prior to the experiment in a mass testing in the setting of an introductory lecture. [...] Each participant was randomly assigned to one of four desks with computers and a booklet in front of them. [...] Then, participants were instructed to imagine three situations for 1 minute each and to issue a handwritten description of the situation within 2 minutes after each imagination. [...] The first two situations were identical for all participants (a personal mishap at a party and an encounter between two people at a farmers’ market). The third task was the experimental manipulation. In the imagined contact condition, the instruction read as follows: [Text Stimulus A]. [...] The instruction for the outgroup encounter condition read as follows: [Text Stimulus B]. The standard control condition was similar to that of Study 1 [...]. After the experimental manipulation, participants were asked to put the booklet aside and move on to a computer-based survey about ethnic diversity and minorities in Germany. [...] Participants provided demographic information and completed the dependent variables. [...]

Measures

Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation Right-wing authoritarianism and SDO were assessed with the same items as in Study 1. Responses to these and to the following measures were submitted on scales ranging from 1 (don’t agree at all) to 7 (agree completely). [...]

Contact Intentions Contact intentions or the willingness to engage in future contact with Romani people was measured by four items [...].