Intergroup Perception in the Social Context: The Effects of Social Status and Group Membership on Perceived Out-group Homogeneity and Ethnocentrism

Abstract

This article examines the impact of social status on two well-known effects in intergroup perception, the out-group homogeneity effect and the ethnocentrism effect. Researchers have recently argued that these effects are asymmetrical and depend on the social status of the participants. However, this conclusion is based on studies that included only two participant groups and two target groups. We argue that conclusions about asymmetries in intergroup perception cannot be drawn from studies conforming to such a design. A new study involving four groups was therefore conducted to examine the relation between intergroup perception and social status. Members of two high-social-status groups (doctors and lawyers) and two low-social-status groups (hairdressers and waiters) participated. Both out-group homogeneity and ethnocentrism were assessed. Comparison of the effect sizes for the Participant Group × Target Group interactions constituted the test of asymmetry. The classic (symmetric) view accounted well for differences in perceived variability: all groups showed the out-group homogeneity bias. Ethnocentrism also appeared to be a symmetrical effect, though it was somewhat more pronounced for low-status groups. The dominant finding in the current literature, namely that out-group homogeneity and ethnocentrism are more pronounced for high-status groups, received no support.