Does pathogen avoidance affect intergroup categorization? Replication of Makhanova, Miller, and Maner (2015).

Abstract

Because pathogens have posed persistent threats to people (and other species) throughout history, evolution has produced behavioral and psychological mechanisms aimed at avoiding pathogens. One mechanism may involve avoidance of others who possess heuristic cues to disease. Past research suggests that, when concerns about pathogens are salient, people tend to categorize such targets (e.g., elderly targets, racial outgroup members) as outgroup members. In light of the recent debate regarding links between pathogen avoidance and intergroup biases, we conducted a preregistered replication of Makhanova et al. (2015) to examine whether chronic and situationally activated pathogen concerns interact to predict biased outgroup categorization of social targets. The current findings replicated part but not all of the pattern observed in the original study. Consistent with the original study, there was a three-way interaction between individual differences in germ aversion, an experimental manipulation of pathogen threat, and type of social target, such that the manipulation affected the categorization of elderly targets among participants low in germ aversion but not participants high in germ aversion. However, unlike the original study, no synergistic effects of target age and race were observed. Considered together, findings bolster support for the overall hypothesis that pathogen threat is associated with biased social categorization of targets displaying heuristic cues to disease. Public Significance StatementWhen people are concerned about disease, they engage in a variety of strategies that help them avoid contact with potential sources of pathogens, including other people. The current research replicates a previous study and shows that one cognitive strategy may be to categorize other people who may harbor pathogens as belonging to a different group than oneself (rather than the same group). Even people who are not typically concerned about disease demonstrated biased social categorization when they were reminded about the threat of a new disease.

Pathogen Disgust is Associated with Interpersonal Bias Among Healthcare Professionals

“…Immigrant generation status has also been linked with analgesic prescribing practices; third-generation or greater Mexican Americans were 4 times more likely to be prescribed opioids to treat their chronic pain compared to first generation Mexican Americans (Hollingshead et al, 2022). It is worth nothing that pathogen avoidance can also contribute to bias against patients from other groups heuristically associated with disease such as people who are elderly (Duncan & Schaller, 2009;Makhanova et al, 2021) or overweight (Park et al, 2007;Lund & Miller, 2014;Makhanova et al, 2021;Miller & Maner, 2012). Future research should directly examine how pathogen avoidance may contribute to biased patient care decisions and health disparities.…”

“…However, environmental conditions can also elevate pathogen disgust, such as in Polish women during the COVID-19 pandemic (Milkowska et al, 2021). Momentary increases in pathogen avoidance may also occur when people both see images of others who are ill or read articles about impending illness threats (Makhanova et al, 2021). Little is known, however, about how prolonged exposure to environmental stimuli that signal the presence of pathogens affects both pathogen avoidance and resulting bias.…”

Burnout Affects Bias Through Changes in Internal Motivation in a Sample of Healthcare Providers

“…Participants rated their feelings (0 = extremely cold, 100 = extremely warm) toward various groups of hypothetical patients (e.g., "patients who are obese," "patients who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine") using electronic sliders (i.e., feelings thermometers). For the second measure of bias, participants read a brief text passage about a fictional country in Central Africa named Krasnee (Faulkner et al, 2004;Makhanova et al, 2023) and rated their perceptions of Krasneeians as likable, trustworthy, open-minded, hostile, ignorant, poor, and unclean (1 = not at all, 7 = very much). Prior work using this measure has found that participants responding with a Xenophobic response to the Krasneeians tended to rate them lower on likable and trustworthy but higher on unclean (Faulkner et al, 2004;Makhanova et al, 2023).…”

“…We also explored whether IMS scores would predict prejudice related responses regarding the fictional Krasneeans particularly for the traits likable, trustworthy, and unclean (Faulkner et al, 2004;Makhanova et al, 2023). IMS was a significant predictor for describing Krasneeans as likable, trustworthy, and less unclean, but not for hostile, open-minded, ignorant, nor poor.…”