Contagious effects produced in the absence of contact

The law of contagion, also called the law of contact, states that objects that have once been in contact continue to affect each other after the contact ends. However, it is unclear whether contact is actually required to produce contagious effects. This study was designed to determine if possession without contact will produce contagious effects, as Heider's theory would predict. A questionnaire asked 52 students to rate new objects and objects either owned or owned and contacted by positively- and negatively-valued individuals. Negative contagious effects were demonstrated both for contact and for possession without contact, although these latter effects may have been slightly weaker. Thus, contagious effects cannot be said to depend on contact. Possible mechanisms underlying contagion are discussed.