Imagined intergroup contact or the act of imagining intergroup contact is considered as one of the best
ways to reduce stereotypes. This experiment aimed to examine the effect of imagined intergroup
contact on stereotype among college students from various ethnic groups at Universitas Indonesia.
The stereotypes were measured by two dimensions of stereotype content which are warmth and
competence (using a five-point Likert scale). There were four ethnic groups (Papua, Padang,
Lampung, Yogyakarta) that represent each quadrant of the Stereotype Content Model. This study
employed a randomized two-group design (N=152) where participants in the imagined intergroup
contact (contact) group had to imagine making contact with one of the four ethnic groups presented,
whereas participants in the non-imagined intergroup contact (control) group had to imagine an
outdoor scenery. After imagining a certain condition, the participants were asked to rate the warmth
and competence of a given group. The results showed that there was a significant effect of imagined
contact on the warmth dimension of people native to Yogyakarta, and also on the warmth and
competence dimensions of the natives of Papua. We concluded that imagined intergroup contact could
reduce negative stereotypes toward dehumanized groups.