Abstract
In the classic black sheep effect (BSE) an ingroup deviant member is usually evaluated more negatively than the corresponding outgroup deviant. This effect is usually obtained by using scenarios and asking people to imagine the situation as vividly as possible. The present study proposes a new method to investigate the BSE by considering the behavioral and physiological reactions to unfair behavior (aggressive game behavior) in a realistic experimental group-setting. The study involved 52 university students in a minimal group setting who performed a modified version of the competitive reaction time (CRT) task adapted to be played in groups of four people. The classic BSE was replicated for evaluation but not for the behavioral reactions (retaliate to aggression) to deviants. More interestingly, a negative relationship emerged in the ingroup deviant condition between the level of behavioral derogation and the systolic blood pressure level.
Highlights
Based on literature on the black sheep effect (BSE), people tend to derogate a negative ingroup member more than a similar outgroup member in order to protect the group from the threat that the deviant poses to their social identity [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Social identity theory (SIT) [8] suggests that people derive the central core of their identity from groups they belong to and that the higher the identification with the group, the higher is the tendency of people to express ingroup favoritism for enhancing their self-esteem [9] [10] [11]
In this sense the BSE is considered a sophisticated form of ingroup favoritism as derogation represents a way to maintain the group at a certain distance from the negative image that may derive from the deviance of a member [1]
Summary
Based on literature on the black sheep effect (BSE), people tend to derogate a negative ingroup member more than a similar outgroup member in order to protect the group from the threat that the deviant poses to their social identity [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. Social identity theory (SIT) [8] suggests that people derive the central core of their identity from groups they belong to and that the higher the identification with the group, the higher is the tendency of people to express ingroup favoritism for enhancing their self-esteem [9] [10] [11] In this sense the BSE is considered a sophisticated form of ingroup favoritism as derogation represents a way to maintain the group at a certain distance from the negative image that may derive from the deviance of a member [1]. As shown by previous research [15] [16] [17] [18], people are generally unaffected by PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0125605 May 6, 2015
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