Prejudice

 is a valenced (i.e., can be positive or negative) attitude that is unwarranted (Allport, 1954 ). 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 ).

Contact theory
Allport specified four conditions for optimal intergroup contact:
 * 1) equal group status within the situation,
 * 2) common goals,
 * 3) intergroup cooperation and
 * 4) authority support.

Intergroup contact theory suggests that quality contact (i.e., contact that facilitates effective interaction) can reduce negative attitudes by eliciting positive emotions (Pettigrew, 1998).