Intergroup contact can be as casual as members of different groups walking past one another on the street or as intimate as developing cross‐group friendships or romantic relationships. To date, however, the majority of intergroup contact research has focused on examining the effects of contact through self‐report measures of interactions and friendships. While this research has made a substantial contribution to scientific understanding, less is known about how different forms of contact (casual vs. intimate) influence each other and are associated with outcomes across the lifespan. The present article focuses on intimate contact; a close and meaningful relationship or interaction with either an ingroup or outgroup member. We critically review the nature and consequences (good and bad) of intimate contact for children, youth and adults and for both majority and minority group members, focusing primarily on intimate intergroup contact. We also consider how intimate contact might be best measured in future research. Implications for research design, policy, and practice are considered.

中文翻译：

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整个生命周期内的亲密团体间联系

群体间的接触既可以像不同群体的成员在大街上走过一样随意，也可以像建立跨群体的友谊或建立浪漫关系那样亲密。然而，迄今为止，大多数群体间的联系研究都集中在通过自我报告互动和友谊的方式来检验联系的效果。尽管这项研究为科学理解做出了巨大贡献，但人们对不同形式的接触（休闲还是亲密）如何相互影响以及与整个生命周期的结果之间的联系知之甚少。本文着重于亲密接触。与小组内成员或小组外成员的亲密且有意义的关系或互动。我们会严格审查儿童亲密接触的性质和后果（好坏），青年和成年人以及多数和少数群体成员，主要集中于亲密的群体间接触。我们还考虑在未来的研究中如何最好地衡量亲密接触。考虑对研究设计，政策和实践的影响。