This study tested the effect of status threat on ingroup identification and examined identity concealability and stereotype endorsement as moderators of the relationship. Participants included a visible identity group (Asian men) and a concealable identity group (gay men). Participants were randomized into either a status threat condition, in which they…
This study tested the effect of status threat on ingroup identification and examined identity concealability and stereotype endorsement as moderators of the relationship. Participants included a visible identity group (Asian men) and a concealable identity group (gay men). Participants were randomized into either a status threat condition, in which they read a vignette that reminded them of a negative stereotype about the target group and discussed positive stereotypes of the group as well, or a control condition that discussed positive stereotypes only. Participants then responded to a measure of ingroup identification and a measure of stereotype endorsement. A significant main effect of status threat on ingroup identification was found, such that participants in the status threat condition showed lower ingroup identification. The interaction of condition and concealability was not significant. The interaction of condition and stereotype endorsement was marginally significant, such that the main effect shows up stronger for those lower on stereotype endorsement. The main effect is interpreted as a potential protective strategy for self-esteem. The stereotype threat interaction is interpreted as a difference in the way that those who do and do not endorse the stereotype view the legitimacy of the status threat.
The U.S. is experiencing high levels of political animosity. Whereas much of the intergroup contact literature has focused on improving intergroup relations by reducing anxieties associated with interacting with other groups, some of the motivation literature suggests a different approach: focusing on immediate rewards, such as fun in the moment.…
The U.S. is experiencing high levels of political animosity. Whereas much of the intergroup contact literature has focused on improving intergroup relations by reducing anxieties associated with interacting with other groups, some of the motivation literature suggests a different approach: focusing on immediate rewards, such as fun in the moment. The present study investigated the effectiveness of instructing pairs of participants to focus on immediate rewards, relative to focusing on immediate (anxiety) prevention or a no-goal control condition, for increasing participants’ willingness to interact with members of the opposite political party and making those interactions less aversive. Given prior work suggesting differences between conservatives and liberals in terms of threat aversion and openness, it also investigated whether these results differed for Republicans and Democrats. Ninety-two same-sex Democrat-Republican dyads were recruited from the Sona pool at Arizona State University and randomly assigned to one of three instruction conditions. Before engaging in a 15-minute interaction, participants responded to questions about how well they expected the interactions to go, and after the conversation, they evaluated how they felt during the conversation, their perceptions of their partner’s behaviors, and how willing they would be to interact with the outparty again. It was predicted that participants in the immediate rewards condition would report more positive expectancies of the interactions, more positive impressions of their partners, and greater willingness to interact with the outparty again. It was also expected that Democrats in the immediate rewards condition, and Republicans in the immediate prevention condition, would report more positive expectancies of the interactions, more positive impressions of their partners, and greater willingness to interact with the outparty again relative to Republicans, and to Democrats, in the same conditions. Results of 3 Between-Dyad Condition X 2 Within-Dyad Political Party mixed analyses of variance (ANOVAs) suggested that whereas the immediate rewards condition was associated with marginally more positive expectancies relative to the no-goal control condition, the immediate prevention condition was associated with more enjoyable interactions relative to the no-goal control condition. Although condition effects did not differ significantly by political party, Republicans exhibited some more positive outcomes relative to Democrats.
Although recent research has suggested that motivations such as disease avoidance and self-protection are associated with increased social conservatism, less is known about the impact of other fundamental motivations on political attitudes. This is particularly important given that the currently studied motivations do not consistently push around economic attitudes, which…
Although recent research has suggested that motivations such as disease avoidance and self-protection are associated with increased social conservatism, less is known about the impact of other fundamental motivations on political attitudes. This is particularly important given that the currently studied motivations do not consistently push around economic attitudes, which are an important determinant of voting. The current study investigated the impact of a different motivation, status desire, on both economic and social attitudes in a sample of undergraduate students at a large southwestern university. Participants first reported their overall, economic, and social ideology one month before participating in a lab study. Then, in the lab, they were presented either with a vignette designed to elicit status desire, or a closely matched control, before responding to a series of items about economic and social political attitudes. It was predicted that economic conservatives and liberals in the status desire condition would report more economically conservative attitudes relative to their counterparts in the control condition. By contrast, it was predicted that social conservatives in the status desire condition would report more socially conservative attitudes, whereas social liberals in the status desire condition would report more socially liberal attitudes, relative to their counterparts in the control condition. However, the use of hierarchical linear regressions showed no significant effects of motive activation condition, or interactions of motive activation condition with relevant pre-screen political ideology, in predicting either economic or social political attitudes. Implications of these results for future research are discussed.
