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Prejudice is a valenced (i.e., can be positive or negative) attitude that is unwarranted (Allport, 1954[1]). Although prejudice is often regarded as morally wrong, sorting members of a social group into a negative category may simply be part of a natural tendency towards social categorisation. (Augoustinos, 1994[2]).


Allport specified four conditions for optimal intergroup contact:
Intergroup contact theory suggests that quality contact (i.e., contact that facilitates effective interaction) can reduce negative attitudes by eliciting positive emotions (Pettigrew, 1998)[3].