Does Cross-Group Friendship Play a Special Role in Reducing Prejudice?

We now know that affective dimensions are crucial for identifying the forms of prejudice that are especially likely to be reduced through intergroup contact. But might affect also play a role in defining the kinds of contact that would be most likely to reduce prejudice? What does it mean when we say we feel “close” to members of other groups, and how do these feelings of closeness affect our intergroup prejudices?