Lateral attitude change in social groups

Abstract

In five studies it was investigated how stereotypes and prejudice about a focal social group also impact the evaluation of lateral groups. The focus hereby was the moderating role of perceived group similarity, but moderator variables such as motivation to control prejudiced behavior, empathy, and preference for consistency were also included in the analysis. Results showed that a changed evaluation of a primary, focal group indeed also affected similar lateral groups, through change regarding the focal group. Moderator effects were rather small and have to be further examined. <br> Study 1 and 2 showed that a (fictive) newspaper article about Sinti and Roma influenced not only the subsequent evaluation of Sinti and Roma, but also indirectly affected a similar social group (Romanians), through change of the focal group evaluation, while a dissimilar group (Chinese) was not significantly affected. Study 1 further found an implicit, and study 2 an explicit contrast effect for the evaluation of Romanians. Romanians were evaluated more negatively from participants in the positive condition than in the negative condition and vice versa. Indirect effect analysis further showed that the level of empathy with Sinti and Roma not only affected this groups’ evaluation in the following, but directly and indirectly (through change in the evaluation of Sinti and Roma) also affected the explicit evaluation of Romanians. <br> Study 3 investigated the effects of a stereotype activation regarding Germans, and possible side effects of this manipulation on a similar (Austrians) and a dissimilar nationality (Greeks). Results showed an unexpected contrast effect on the dissimilar group: Greeks were evaluated more negatively after a positive German stereotype activation and more positively after a negative stereotype activation of Germans. <br> Study 4 further examined the effects of similarity and possible antagonistic relations between groups. After a stereotype activation regarding Turks (focal group), no direct or indirect effects on four lateral groups were found, but exploratory analysis of the given associations with lateral groups revealed the expected pattern and showed that thinking positively or negatively about Turks also affected later associations with the similar lateral groups. In contrast, associations with the dissimilar groups did not depend on the condition. Finally, a fifth study used fictional groups, thereby controlling for possible effects of current media coverage or previous experiences with the groups, and additionally a longitudinal design. In this study, a first group (the “Laapians”) was presented negatively, and a second group (the “Niffians”) was presented rather positively or neutrally and looked either similar or dissimilar to the Laapians. Indirect effect analysis again showed that the manipulation not only affected the subsequent evaluation of the focal group (in the expected direction), but it also indirectly affected the evaluation of the secondary group in a contrasting way, at both measurement points. Results of Study 5 thus show that LAC can happen irrespective of previously existing attitudes and the mere association of two groups (either based on similarity or pure co-occurrence) can result in positive or negative evaluations of the groups. <br> Results of the five studies are discussed within the frame of the LAC model (Glaser et al., 2015). Based on the LAC model, a more concrete model of lateral attitude change regarding social groups was developed, which was called the “indirect prejudice change model” (IPC) The IPC model should not be understood as an alternative to the LAC model, but rather as a concretization of it, with reference to social groups and prejudices.