From the theoretical perspectives of intergroup contact, predicted outcome value (POV), and similarity-attraction, this inquiry explored U.S. host nationals’ (N = 342) communicative behaviours in a recent initial encounter with an international student and attitudes toward the student’s cultural group as a whole. Testing of two models pointed out the significant sequential mediator effects of perceived similarity-social attraction and POV-social attraction between communication variables (e.g. amount of communication exchange in both models, self-disclosure in model 1, and information seeking in model 2), and intergroup attitudes (e.g. behavioural attitudes). Findings in general showed that contact effects in the intercultural context varied according to specific measures of communication, the mediating mechanisms, and intergroup attitudes.