Conditional secondary transfer effect: The moderating role of moral credentials and prejudice

Abstract

This survey experiment examined the role of prejudice and moral licensing as two moderators of the secondary transfer effect (STE) of positive and negative intergroup contact. We collected a quota-randomized sample of 299 majority Finns (52.6% female; experimental condition: n = 118, control condition: n = 181) in order to test whether moral credentials prevent attitude generalization (from primary towards secondary outgroup), particularly among prejudiced individuals. The results showed that STEs of both positive and negative contact were prevented among more prejudiced majority group members who had the possibility to obtain moral credentials in the moral licensing task. These results point at the unstable nature of attitude generalization in STE among prejudiced individuals and at the potential of a normative moral act to intervene into the generalization of intergroup attitudes following intergroup contact. We discuss these findings in relation to the literature on moral licensing and moral reinforcement, framing them in the context of an integration of contact research and research on morality in general.

Reducing prejudice in the society at large: A review of the secondary transfer effect and directions for future research

“…Specifically, the question that arises is, is it the intergroup contact that leads to reduced prejudice toward secondary outgroups or is it that individuals who are less prejudiced toward a wide range of groups seek out more intergroup contact? Evidence from longitudinal (Eller & Abrams, 2004, Study 1; Mähönen & Jasinskaja‐Lahti, 2016; Tausch et al., 2010, Study 4; Turner & Feddes, 2011; Van Laar et al., 2005) as well as from experimental studies (Harwood et al., 2011; Jasinskaja‐Lathi et al., 2020) support the contact‐attitude path, although the process is likely to be bidirectional, as indicated in the broader contact literature (e.g., Binder et al., 2009).…”

“…Evidence that contact effects generalize to secondary outgroups has been obtained mainly with correlational (Brylka, Jasinskaja‐Lahti, & Mähönen, 2016; Hindriks et al., 2014; Pettigrew, 2009; Vezzali et al., 2019, 24 studies, see Table 3), but also with longitudinal (Bowman & Griffin, 2012; Mähönen & Jasinskaja‐Lahti, 2016; Tausch et al., 2010, Study 4; Turner & Feddes, 2011; Van Laar et al., 2005, seven studies, see Table 2), and experimental methodologies (Harwood et al., 2011; Jasinskaja‐Lahti et al., 2020; Li et al., 2016; Shook et al., 2016; but see Mark & Harris, 2012, 13 studies see Tables 1; note that the study by Van Laar et al., [2005] has been included both as an experimental and a longitudinal study, see Tables 1 and 2).…”

“…In recent years, further evidence from cross‐sectional studies has demonstrated the robustness of the attitude generalization mediating effect (Bowman & Griffin, 2012; Brylka et al., 2016; Jasinskaja‐Lahti et al., 2020; Schmid et al., 2012, 2013; Schulz & Taylor, 2018; Vezzali, Di Bernardo, et al., 2018, 2019; Vezzali & Giovannini, 2011, 2012; Zezelj et al., 2020; for evidence of generalization via contact intentions, see Meleady & Forder, 2019, Study 3; but see Zingora & Graf, 2019, for evidence against attitude generalization), qualifying it as the main mediator of the STE.…”

“…Jasinskaja‐Lahti et al. (2020) conducted an experimental study investigating a moderator specific to the STE (which should moderate the generalization from attitudes toward the primary outgroup to attitudes toward the secondary outgroup; see Figure 1), in addition to a further moderator of contact, that is initial prejudice . The authors focused on the role of moral credentials and specifically on the moral licensing effect (Monin & Miller, 2001).…”

“…Finally, Jasinskaja‐Lahti et al. (2020) showed that the STE for negative contact emerged when individuals could not “use” the acquisition of moral credentials to prevent it or when moral credentials were acquired by low‐prejudiced individuals.…”