The authors assumed that automatic preferences based on lowerorder affective processes have a greater impact on choice when people focus on their affective response to choice options (affective focus) than when they try to find reasons for their preferences (cognitive focus). They further supposed that the impact of the focus during decision making is less important when the cognitive resources of consumers are constrained. In an experiment, participants had to choose between two options while the cognitive or affective focus and processing resources were manipulated. Measures of automatic preferences correlated with choice under an affective, but not under a cognitive, focus. In contrast to expectations, this effect of focus was not moderated by the manipulation of processing resources. Interestingly, the automatic measures contributed to the prediction of choice under an affective focus independently and apart from self-report measures.
The authors argue that individuals may restore their self-esteem by derogating a member of an out-group, but only if they identify with the in-group and hold negative attitudes towards the out-group. In two experiments, the self-image of participants was either enhanced or threatened. Afterwards, participants evaluated an out-group target. The results provided broad support for the assumption that intergroup attitudes and in-group identification moderate the impact of self-image threat on the judgment of an out-group member. Self-image threat led to a more negative evaluation only in participants with negative out-group attitudes. It resulted in a more positive evaluation when participants held positive out-group attitudes and identified less with the in-group.
Zusammenfassung: Die Autoren unterscheiden zwei Arten von Assoziationen zu einer Fremdgruppe. Als personale Assoziationen bezeichnen sie individuelles Wissen und individuelle Bewertungen einer Fremdgruppe. Demgegenüber bezeichnen sie das Wissen über Bewertungen in ihrer sozialen Umwelt als extrapersonale Assoziationen. Sie gehen davon aus, dass die Nutzung dieser Assoziationen bei der Beurteilung einer Person unter anderem von der Typikalität des zu beurteilenden Exemplars und der Selbstkategorisierung des Urteilers abhängt. Die Ergebnisse des durchgeführten Experiments stützen diese Annahme und stehen im Einklang zu dem Modell, dass die Typikalität eines Exemplars zu einer verstärkten Nutzung von sowohl personalen wie auch extrapersonalen Assoziationen führt, während die Selbstkategorisierung auf einer kollektiven Ebene die Nutzung personaler Assoziationen schwächt. Die Ergebnisse werden vor dem Hintergrund der Selbstkategorisierungstheorie diskutiert.
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