A normative perspective of discrimination in the minimal group paradigm: Does it apply to both Ingroup love and outgroup hate?

Abstract

Research based on the normative perspective on intergroup discrimination showed that participants in the minimal group paradigm (MGP) discriminate because they perceive it to be in line with the ingroup's expectations (Iacoviello & Spears, 2018, 2021). The present set of studies examined whether these normative dynamics are peculiar to ‘ingroup love’, or whether they also apply to ‘outgroup hate’ (Brewer, 1979). Three studies (Ns = 405, 210, 307) first examined norm perceptions and showed that 1) participants perceived outgroup hate to be proscribed by ingroup members less than by an external body (i.e., social scientists), and 2) they perceived ingroup love to be promoted by ingroup members, but proscribed by the external body. Study 3 further showed that both ingroup love and outgroup hate behaviors were dependent on the imagined audience, increasing when participants imagined the presence of the ingroup vs. an external body. Finally, Study 4 (N = 410) showed that both ingroup love and outgroup hate increased when the ingroup norm was pro-discriminatory (vs. anti-discriminatory). The discussion focuses on the relevance of the normative perspective to explain both ingroup love and outgroup hate in the MGP.