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Is Outgroup Prejudice Fundamental?

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Is Outgroup Prejudice Fundamental? IS OUTGROUP PREJUDICE FUNDAMENTAL? EXPLORING INTERGROUP BIAS IN THE MINIMAL GROUP PARADIGM DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Michael John McCaslin, M.A. Graduate Program in Psychology The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Richard E. Petty, Advisor Russell H. Fazio William A. Cunningham Copyright Michael John McCaslin 2010 ABSTRACT Previous research using the minimal group paradigm (MGP) has shown that group categorization per se is sufficient to elicit a preference for one’s ingroup over the outgroup (Tajfel et al., 1971). Social psychologists have generally believed this relative bias to be the result of ingroup favoritism rather than outgroup derogation, but the lack of an appropriate control group in prior studies has made it difficult to definitely determine the direction of bias. Making this methodological adjustment in the current research revealed evidence indicating that explicit (Experiments 1 and 2) and implicit (Experiment 3) intergroup bias are a function of both ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation. In addition, results from Experiments 1 and 2 showed that less favorable outgroup attitudes were most likely to be reported by those low in outgroup identification, a variable that has received relatively little attention in the literature. Together, these findings suggest that outgroup derogation is an important determinant of intergroup attitudes, particularly for certain individuals. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to extend my deepest gratitude to those who served as faculty in the Social Psychology Area during my time at Ohio State. Thank you for creating an intellectually supportive environment that encouraged the pursuit of excellence. In particular, I would like to thank the members of my committee, Russ Fazio and Wil Cunningham, for their time and effort. And a special thank you is given to Tim Brock, whose efforts helped ensure that I could come to Ohio State in the first place. In addition, I would like thank the members of the Petty lab and the Group for Attitudes and Persuasion for their insightful suggestions and comments throughout the various stages of development of this research. I greatly appreciate all your helpful feedback. I would also like to thank my advisor, Rich Petty, for his steadfast guidance and generous support over the last several years. Rich, your commitment and dedication to your students is unparalleled, and I feel extremely fortunate to have been mentored by someone as willing to share his time, resources and intellectual knowledge as you have been. I could not ask for a better advisor and colleague. Finally, I would like to thank my wife and family, whose love and support is matched only by their patience and understanding. Jamie, Mom, Teresa, Sarah, and Phil – thank you for everything. iii VITA May 13, 1980..................................Born – Omaha, Nebraska 2003................................................B.A. Psychology, Saint Louis University 2003-2004.......................................University Fellow, The Ohio State University 2004-2005.......................................NIMH Predoctoral Trainee, The Ohio State University 2005.................................................M.A. Psychology, The Ohio State University 2005-2009.......................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University 2009-2010.......................................Graduate Research Associate, Nationwide Center for Advanced Customer Insights PUBLICATIONS McCaslin, M. J., & Petty, R. E. (2007). Persuasion. In R. Baumeister & K. Vohs (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 665-669). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Briñol, P., Petty, R. E., & McCaslin, M. (2009). Changing attitudes on implicit versus explicit measures: What is the difference? In R. E. Petty, R. H. Fazio, & P. Briñol (Eds.). Attitudes: Insights from the new implicit measures (pp. 285-326). New York, NY: Psychology Press. McCaslin, M. J., & Petty, R. E. (2009). Attitude change. In D. Matsumoto (Ed.), Cambridge dictionary of psychology, Cambridge University Press. iv Petty, R. E., Briñol, P., Loersch, C., & McCaslin, M. J. (2009). The need for cognition. In M. R. Leary & R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of individual differences in social behavior. New York: Guilford Press. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Psychology Specialization: Social Psychology Minor Fields: Quantitative Psychology, Consumer Psychology v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................iii Vita......................................................................................................................................iv List of Tables................................................................................................................................viii List of Figures................................................................................................................................ix Chapters: 1. Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 Minimal Group Studies............................................................................................3 Limitations of Prior Research..................................................................................5 Control Group Studies.............................................................................................9 Current Research....................................................................................................13 2. Experiment 1.................................................................................................................18 Method...................................................................................................................19 Participants and Design..............................................................................19 Procedure...................................................................................................19 Independent Variables...............................................................................20 Dependent Variables..................................................................................21 Results....................................................................................................................22 Attitudes.....................................................................................................22 Identification..............................................................................................22 Moderation Analyses.................................................................................23 Discussion..............................................................................................................24 vi 3. Experiment 2.................................................................................................................29 Method...................................................................................................................30 Participants and Design..............................................................................30 Procedure...................................................................................................30 Independent Variables...............................................................................30 Dependent Variables..................................................................................31 Results....................................................................................................................32 Attitudes Toward Group Categories..........................................................32 Attitudes Toward Group Members............................................................32 Identification..............................................................................................33 Moderation Analyses.................................................................................34 Discussion..............................................................................................................36 4. Experiment 3.................................................................................................................40 Method...................................................................................................................40 Participants and Design..............................................................................40 Procedure...................................................................................................41 Independent Variables...............................................................................41 Dependent Variable...................................................................................41 Results....................................................................................................................42 Discussion..............................................................................................................43 5. General Discussion......................................................................................................45 Future Directions...................................................................................................49
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