Inter‐category versus intra‐category fit: when social categories match social context

Wegener, Ingo; Klauer, Karl Christoph

doi:10.1002/ejsp.217

Cited by 20 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Its key insight is that social identities come spontaneously into focus in a given situation to the degree that they provide a contextually meaningful framework for defining it as an intergroup situation. The contextual meaningfulness of social categories is postulated to depend on the degree to which they provide comparative fit (by accounting for patterns of similarity and difference across individuals; e.g., Wegener & Klauer, 2004) and normative fit (by aligning observed behavior with the norms associated with particular groups; Oakes, 1987). Other variables that can contextually influence patterns of categorization include the relative distinctiveness of a given identity (e.g., Nelson & Miller, 1995) and the extent to which activating a categorical identity can satisfy momentarily influential personal goals and motives (e.g., Mussweiler, Gabriel, & Bodenhausen, 2000).…”

Section: The Complexity Of Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in the person, diversity in the group: Challenges of identity complexity for social perception and social interaction

Bodenhausen

2009

Euro J Social Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social psychological research is increasingly coming to grips with the complexity of social identity within the individual, both from the perspective of perceivers trying to form impressions and make judgments about multiply categorizable targets, as well as from the perspective of actors using their different self-aspects as a framework for guiding their interactions with the social world. I review several contributions to the effort to better understand these issues and then explore some of their possible implications for understanding the nature and consequences of diversity within the group. The importance of social categories in guiding social cognition and behavior was recognized decades ago by seminal figures in social psychology (Allport, 1954;Sherif, 1948;Tajfel, 1974). Since then, research on social categorization and associated phenomena such as stereotyping and intergroup conflict has flowed in a steadily increasing stream, attesting to the theoretical centrality and practical significance of these issues. Much of the social psychological research that has been conducted in this tradition has focused on one identity dimension at a time (e.g., race or sex or nationality) and has assumed the existence of distinct, discrete categories within a given dimension (e.g., clearly defined racial groups) rather than overlapping, blended, or ambiguous categories. In addition, researchers often tend either to adopt the perspective of the observer, asking how social categories are imposed on target persons in the course of social perception, or they adopt the perspective of the actor, asking how categorical identities are claimed or disavowed in the course of self-perception, and how these identities influence subsequent selfregulation. These research traditions have yielded undeniably rich and diverse insights into the dynamics of social categorization, but the picture they have produced has not fully come to terms with some of the inherent complexities of social categorization.In recent times, researchers have begun to turn their attention more explicitly toward the multifaceted nature of social identities. The diversity of identity, within the individual, has been increasingly recognized and investigated, both from the perceiver's and the actor's perspectives. The impact of a group's diversity on group dynamics and productivity has also been increasingly recognized in recent years, but the issue becomes more complicated when one recognizes the diversity that resides within the individual members comprising the group. In this article, I review some of the recent research and theory bearing on the diversity of identity, considering its implications both for individuals and groups. As will become clear, many key issues remain ripe for empirical exploration.

show abstract

Section: The Complexity Of Identitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity in the person, diversity in the group: Challenges of identity complexity for social perception and social interaction

Bodenhausen

2009

Euro J Social Psych

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Comparative fit can also cue particular categorical identities, to the extent that these identities can account for patterns of similarities and differences observed in a given situation (e.g., Wegener & Klauer, 2004). Identities can also 'pop out' simply by virtue of being statistically rare, either in general or in a given context, such as being the only woman in a room full of men (e.g.…”

Section: The Problem Of Volatilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Categorization and Stereotyping In vivo: The VUCA Challenge

Bodenhausen¹,

Peery²

2009

Social & Personality Psych

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A substantial literature has examined the nature of social categorization, a fundamental process having important implications for a wide variety of social phenomena. The great majority of this research has focused on the role of particular, clearly identified social categories (e.g. race, nationality, etc.) while ignoring or holding constant other identity dimensions. This approach has afforded considerable leverage for understanding how salient social identities influence perception, judgment, and behavior. However, it leaves unaddressed many questions about how particular social identities become salient and how (and whether) identities might be inferred when category membership is ambiguous or unknown. Everyday social perception often occurs under conditions of volatility (dynamic contexts), uncertainty (missing information), complexity (multiple bases for categorization), and ambiguity (unclear meaning of available cues). As a consequence, research must address how these factors might qualify basic processes of social categorization. Available evidence is reviewed, and directions for future research are discussed.

show abstract

“…either psychology or ANU), and therefore perceived similarities and differences were dependent on the salience of the separate categories rather than the superordinate 'crossed' category. Since it is difficult to disentangle category activation and category use (see Wegener & Klauer, 2004), this issue warrants further investigation. Ultimately, we are not in a position to ascertain whether people judged the same group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unlocking variability: inherent variation and developmental traits of garlic plants originated from sexual reproduction

Shemesh

Scholten

Rabinowitch

et al. 2008

Planta

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, in-group stereotyping was examined as a function of variations in social context and perceiver factors. The social context consisted of different comparison groups and different domains of comparison. Comparison group and comparative domain were expected to interact in determining the content of the in-group stereotype. This prediction was confirmed with in-group stereotyping being strongest in conditions where the combination of comparison group and comparative domain made the in-group seem most similar to an out-group. The perceiver's level of in-group identification was also positively related to the level of in-group stereotyping. Moreover, the level of identification was shown to be dependent on the immediate social context and mediated the relationship between social context and in-group stereotyping. This pattern is explained in terms of a search for in-group distinctiveness.

show abstract

Inter‐category versus intra‐category fit: when social categories match social context

Cited by 20 publications

References 32 publications

Diversity in the person, diversity in the group: Challenges of identity complexity for social perception and social interaction

Diversity in the person, diversity in the group: Challenges of identity complexity for social perception and social interaction

Social Categorization and Stereotyping In vivo: The VUCA Challenge

Unlocking variability: inherent variation and developmental traits of garlic plants originated from sexual reproduction

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About