Ingroup/Outgroup Bias and Emotional Perception

Abstract

With the globalization of the world, it has become a main tendency to establish cooperative relations among countries. However, in the course of historical development, countries have formed their own unique culture and established profound national consciousness and identity. These gaps between countries cause prejudice and stereotypes which hinder cooperation. To get to the root of the problem, it is crucial to find out what factors would influence the formation of group bias. People always associate group identity with intergroup bias, but few have thought about the relationship between group bias and emotional perception. However, as a prerequisite for understanding others' behavior, emotional perception will greatly affect people's behavioral responses to others. Recent studies give more concern about the relationship between group bias and emotional perception, and they confirmed that they do influence each other. This review discussed how group bias and emotional perception affect each other and also factors that work in this relationship. It was found that people tend to judge more positively towards ingroup members’ emotions. In addition, competition plays an important role in the generation of emotional perception bias. With these conclusions, it might be easier to reduce group bias and promote cooperations in society.