Intergroup Relations

Objectives Distinguish between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and ethnocentrism. Understand the internal (within person) and external (situational) variables that lead to stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and ethnocentrism.

Prejudicial Attitudes Prejudice  Learned negative attitude Stereotype  Cognitive component (thoughts) Discrimination  Behavioral component (actions) Ethnocentrism  Judging other culture’s practices as inferior to one’s own

One Story manda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_singl e_story.html

Why is there prejudice? Group dynamics  In-groups vs. out-groups  Interdependent vs. Independent response Learned responses Mental shortcuts / categorization  Selective attention (priorities)  Out-group homogeneity (they’re all the same)

Why is there prejudice? Competition Displaced aggression Downward social comparison Scapegoating

Objectives Describe how the processes of categorization, memory, selective attention, and attributional bias affect the development and maintenance of ethnocentric attitudes and stereotypes.

Stereotypes Attributional bias  Situational cause (outside the person)  Dispositional cause (inside the person)  Saliency (what you notice quickly) Selective attention Memory

Why might the following happen? A student reads a pro-Castro essay in your class Your report card shows all A’s for the semester A child hits another child on the playground 2 days in a row You speed on your way to work

Attributional Biases Fundamental Attribution Error  Tendency to overestimate the extent to which people ’ s behavior is due to their disposition and not the situation Correspondence Bias  Tendency to infer that people ’ s behavior matches their personality Just World Hypothesis  Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people Self-Serving Attributions  Crediting one’s own success with internal/dispositional factors but explaining failures with external factors

“ There he goes again...Satan’s pet.”

I know you miss the Wainwrights, Bobby, but they were weak and stupid people—and that’s why we have wolves and other large predators.

“Well, no, I can’t tell Harriet!...First thing she’s gonna ask me is what I was doin’ checkin’ out a decoy!”

Empathy, Trust, Punishment Empathy How do you feel towards someone who “cheats” you?

Physical Pain Males Pain = anterior insula/fronto-insular cortex (AI/FI) & anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) Females

Reward Processing Nucleus Accumbens

Punishment is Rewarding

Objectives Describe the contributions of basic psychological processes to intergroup relations.  Group identity formation  Behavior in group  Competition  Cooperation

Group Identities Discussion: why do humans form groups?  Belonging, comfort, support (information, practical, emotional), resources/abilities, protection, custom, “wolf pack”, back up, play a role, unity, goals, power, companionship

Group Identities Collective identity  Symbolic representation of ‘commonness’ among a group of people, in contrast to other collectives  Often defined under threat from another group  Includes shared history, origin, boundaries Identity formation – Sherif camp experiment

Group Identities In-group vs. outgroup judgments: self-esteem, self definition (Tajfel) Entity model of ingroup identity: shared identity Network model of ingroup identity: relationship connection

Competition vs. Cooperation Zero sum games: my gain is your loss Non-zero sum games: both can win Negotiation strategies  Adversarial (my side) vs. compromise (offer solutions to satisfy the other) Social Loafing: let team do your work Social Striving: do more for the team

Objectives Describe the cultural differences in approaches to negotiations Describe the common causes of intergroup conflict Identify the variables likely to escalate a conflict Identify the variables likely to resolve a conflict

Negotiations contract vs. relationship goal win-win vs. win-lose negotiation attitudes formal vs. informal styles indirect vs. direct communication approaches to time general vs. specific agreement building a deal bottom-up vs. top-down decision-makers risk-taker vs. risk-aversive

Causes of Intergroup Conflict Activity Discussion: Under what conditions is conflict likely to begin or escalate between groups?

Lens Model of Conflict & Attribution Each person has a lens or filter through which they look at the conflict (Hockner)  Your communication acts  What you think you are communicating  Other’s communication acts  What they think they are communicating  What you think they are communicating  What they think you are communicating  Meaning of the relationship

Why is there Intergroup Conflict? Competition, discordant goals  Dr. Jones: studying a disease contracted by pregnant women that causes serious brain, eye, and ear damage to unborn children unless the pregnant mothers are inoculated early in their pregnancies. The Ugli Orange can be made into a synthetic chemical serum by Dr. Jones ’ company to prevent disease spread.  Dr. Roland: there ’ s a recent leak of nerve gas from old chemical warfare bombs stored in bomb chambers on a small Pacific island. Thousands of people will die or suffer serious brain damage if the gas gets out of the bomb chambers and spreads to the coast. The Ugli Orange can be made into a synthetic chemical gas to neutralize the nerve gas. Zero-sum game approaches  Focusing on position (need all oranges), ignoring interests (need juice vs. rind) In-group/out-group distinctions

Why is there Intergroup Conflict? Attributions  Misunderstanding perspectives  Prejudice, ethnocentrism, lack of trust

Resolutions Solutions from the 3 rd side  3:07-6:49, 15:40-17:58 ml ml  Perspective  Common identity & goals Mathematics: structure of the insurgents :49-6:01  on_the_mathematics_of_war.html on_the_mathematics_of_war.html

Conflict Escalation Splitting  Loss of power of surrogate leader Economic or military disaster War Group to blame  Emotions, justification of strong measures Motivated group

Hate Groups Discussion: What kinds of groups are common in the United States? What kinds of groups are more likely to create in-group favoritism or friction with out-groups?

Roles in a War Situation likely to start a war  Difficult life conditions  Lack of personal control in changing situation  Group conflict + devaluation of outgroup Perpetrators  Respect for authority, monolithic cultural view, harming leads to more harming Bystanders  Cognitive dissonance, just world hypothesis Heroic Helpers  Separate from group, personal relationship with outgroup, prosocial orientation