Group power as a determinant of interdependence and intergroup discrimination

Abstract

This experiment (N ¼ 239) investigated the effects of group power and legitimacy of power differentials on intergroup discrimination, measured through negative outcome allocations and linguistic abstraction. Furthermore, it examined the mechanisms through which group power affects discrimination by testing the mediating role of perceived interdependence and social identification. Three power conditions were created by modifying the standard minimal group paradigm: equal, high and low power conditions. Power was directly proportional (legitimate conditions) or inversely proportional (illegitimate conditions) to group members' performance in a problem-solving task. Results showed that intergroup discrimination in the high and low power conditions was higher than in the equal power condition on both the allocation and the linguistic measures. Legitimacy moderated the effect of group power on negative outcome allocations, while it had a main effect on the linguistic abstraction. In addition, perceived interdependence turned out to be the main mediator of the effect of power on negative outcome allocations. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.The present experiment tests the effects of legitimate and illegitimate group power on two forms of intergroup discrimination which have received a great deal of attention in the recent past: ingroup favouritism in the allocation of negative outcomes, and linguistic discrimination. Second, it examines the role of two possible mediators of power effects: perceived interdependence of fate, and the comparative strength of identification with the experimental group and the super-ordinate group (the faculty). To achieve our goals, we will firstly review the literature on the effects of group power and legitimacy on intergroup discrimination, and then examine the issue of perceived interdependence. Afterwards, we will focus on studies of negative outcome allocations and linguistic discrimination.

Badly off or better off than them? The impact of relative deprivation and relative gratification on intergroup discrimination.

“…These findings are in line with those on the V-curve effect (Dambrun, Guimond, & Taylor, 2006;Guimond & Dambrun, 2002) as well as those on group power and group status Rubini, Moscatelli, Albarello, & Palmonari, 2007). Moreover, this study reveals that members of RD and RG groups expressed ingroup favoritism, with ingroup members being described with positive terms to a higher level of abstraction than outgroup members.…”

“…Rubini, Moscatelli, Albarello, & Palmonari, 2007) measured perceived rivalry (a = .78). Scales ranged from 1 {totally disagree) to 7 (totally agree).…”

Linguistic Discrimination in Minimal Groups

“…On a separate page, participants were provided with five lines of space to explain their choice, being reminded that they could use verbs and adjectives (cf. Rubini, Moscatelli, Albarello, et al, 2007;. Finally, they completed a questionnaire containing a group identification measure and some manipulation checks on the unpleasantness of the noise.…”

“…Further studies should continue this line of research on the antecedents of linguistic discrimination (cf. Rubini, Moscatelli, Albarello, et al, 2007; by examining how it is influenced by sociostructural variables such as stability, permeability, and legitimacy of the status structure and by other variables that complicate intergroup relations such as group size.…”

The Impact of Group Entitativity on Negative Outcome Allocations

“…However, individuals do discriminate when "aggravating" conditions (such as inferiority in group status and/or size, or group power asymmetries) render categories much more salient (Rubini, Moscatelli, Albarello, & Palmonari, 2007;Otten, Mummendey, & Blanz, 1996). Particularly relevant for the present study is that Moscatelli and Rubini (2011) detected linguistic intergroup discriminationspecifically, linguistic outgroup derogation-only in high group entitativity conditions by asking participants to describe intergroup allocations of negative outcomes.…”