Imagined Intergroup Contact Promotes Prosocial Behavioral Intentions through Intergroup Anxiety in the United Kingdom and Malaysia

This research study investigates the mediating influence ofintergroup anxiety in the linkage between imagined contact andprosocial behavioral intentions. Authors extend the existingliterature on imagined contact by incorporating behavioral scriptsand a visual perspective as part of the intervention. To furtherenhance the generalizability of the findings, the study wasconducted in two distinct phases, encompassing diverse targetgroups of 147 British and 251 Malay students enrolled inuniversities in the United Kingdom and Malaysia, respectively. Inthe first experiment, the results revealed a significant main effectof condition, indicating high levels of altruistic intention afterparticipants imagined contact (M = 3.82, SD = 0.32), in contrast tothe control condition (M = 3.00, SD = 0.32). Additionally, theanalysis demonstrated significantly reduced levels of intergroupanxiety (M = 2.06, SD = 0.35) and egoistic intention (M = 1.97, SD= 0.31). The findings also highlighted the mediating role ofintergroup anxiety in the relationship between imagining positivecontact and all three prosocial behavioral intentions: altruisticintention (β = 0.04, p < .001), egoistic intention (β = -0.02, p <.001), and willingness to donate (β = 0.19, p < .001). In the secondexperiment, the results were consistent with those obtained in thefirst experiment. These findings suggest that techniques involvinga third-person perspective and the integration of intended behaviorin imagery tasks not only enhance positive behavioral outcomesbut also mitigate prejudice effectively.