Contact Experiences Mediate the Relationship Between Five-Factor Model Personality Traits and Ethnic Prejudice

Prejudice has been studied as a function of personality and situation, but there has been little integration of these 2 domains. Our model suggests that people who are especially open and agreeable are more likely to initiate intergroup contact and interpret contact experiences favorably. Such experiences lead to positive intergroup attitudes. To test this mediation hypothesis, participants (N= 163) completed a measure of (a) the Big Five personality traits, (b) past contact experiences with African Americans, and (c) pro-Black/ anti-Black attitudes. A second study used Asian Americans as the outgroup. In both studies, the model was supported. The results have implications for integrating personality and situational approaches to prejudice and enhancing our understanding of intergroup relations.