Intergroup Relations Research Articles

The role of racial group solidarity in intergroup relations between Black-White multiracial and Black monoracial people

The role of racial group solidarity in intergroup relations between Black-White multiracial and Black monoracial people

Homelessness in Virtual Reality: Experiencing Social Exclusion Improves Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Unhoused People.

Virtual reality (VR) interventions are receiving increasing attention from research seeking to promote harmonious intergroup relations. Despite this, the effectiveness of VR methods and the underlying mechanisms for enhancing intergroup relations yield mixed findings. The current research examined if a 360° immersive video where participants embodied an unhoused person could improve attitudes and behavioral intentions toward unhoused people by making participants experience social exclusion and its psychological repercussions. The study (N = 210) adopted a 2 × 2 between-subject design where participants were assigned to embody an unhoused or housed person either watching the video in VR (in 3D using head-mounted devices) or in 2D (on a monitor). The study included a followup after 9 days. Results revealed that embodying the unhoused person (vs. housed control) led to increased experiences of social exclusion, need-threat, and negative emotions. These experiences, in turn, were associated with reduced negative attitudes toward unhoused individuals and heightened intentions to engage in charitable behaviors. Notably, the effects on attitudes and behavioral intentions persisted at the followup, with a stronger impact observed for participants who embodied the unhoused person in 3D compared to 2D. The findings suggest that tailoring VR video interventions to elicit social exclusion by embodying the perspective of marginalized social groups can enhance intergroup attitudes and intentions over time. Overall, this research underscores the prominence of VR-based interventions in improving intergroup harmony compared to less-immersive paradigms.

Management of Inter-Religious Conflicts in Kwara State: Prospects and Challenges

Nigeria has experienced various inter-religious conflicts that have obvious effects on peace. In Kwara State, for example, inter-religious conflict has surfaced as a major feature of inter-group relations. This paper examines the management of inter-religious conflict in Kwara State. Nigeria with the use of descriptive analysis. Conflict theory was employed as the basis of the study. The Kwara State Government applied various strategies in the management of inter-religious conflict, among them attempts to provide good governance and equitable development, litigation, use of police actions to prevent or quell emergent violence, establishment of inter-faith dialogue committees and partnership with traditional and religious institutions such as the Ilorin Emirate Council. Other government response strategies include court processes and the deployment of security forces. These have attracted considerable attention. In view of the situation on ground, the study advocates for some measures towards effective management of inter-religious conflicts in the state. These include the establishment of a committee comprising all representatives of social groups within the state. The committee should provide a forum for discussing and resolving communal issues instead of resorting to violence. Besides, it is further recommended research be carried out for an in-depth understanding of the causes and solutions to inter-religious conflicts in the state, where experts in conflict resolution would be used to curtail possible outbreak of conflicts, while increased attention is devoted to the prevention of social conflicts, the peaceful resolution of existing conflicts should be intensified through constant dialogue.

Prediction of Lithium-Ion Battery Health Using GRU-BPP

Accurate prediction of lithium-ion batteries’ (LIBs) state-of-health (SOH) is crucial for the safety and maintenance of LIB-powered systems. This study addresses the variability in degradation trajectories by applying gated recurrent unit (GRU) networks alongside principal component analysis (PCA), Granger causality, and K-means clustering to analyze the relationships between operating conditions—such as temperature and load profiles—and battery performance degradation. This paper uses a publicly accessible dataset derived by aging three prismatic LIB cells under a realistic forklift operation profile. First, we identify the features that are relevant to driving variance, then we employ the winning algorithm of K-means clustering for the classification of operational states. Granger causality later investigates the inter-group relationships. Our GRU-BPP model achieves an RMSE value of 0.167 and an MAE of 0.129 for the reference performance testing (RPT) dataset and an RMSE of 0.032 with an MAE of 0.025 for the aging dataset, thus outperformed benchmark methods such as GRU, LME, and XGBoost. These results further enhance the predictiveness and robustness of this approach and yield a holistic solution to the conventional challenges in battery management and their remaining useful life (RUL) predictions.

Using the sociopolitical motive × intergroup threat model of intergroup relations to understand opposition to policies that promote social equality

AbstractIn the last several decades, social psychologists have identified several social and political motives that undergird conflict between groups (e.g., racial group conflict), and the conditions under which individuals holding these motives are most likely to oppose policies that promote greater equality between groups. In the current article, we introduce a framework that integrates these insights—the sociopolitical motive × intergroup threat model of intergroup relations—and leverage the model to help advocates for social equality identify likely sources of opposition to or support for their initiatives. By understanding the psychological motives that lead individuals to oppose or support policies that promote social equality, policymakers may be better positioned to craft and communicate policies in a manner that benefits and appeals to as many constituents as possible.

‘People of the barracks’: Meta-beliefs of a migrant community in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Literature discussing contents of meta-beliefs, or beliefs about other beliefs, and what effects they have on intergroup relationships, specifically among disadvantaged groups are rare. Our study aims to explore meta-beliefs among the resettled Sambas Madurese community, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, who were affected by the 1999 Sambas Conflict. We adopted an ethnographic approach, with a three-month live-in duration, conducting interviews, casual conversations, and taking part in community activities. Our findings reveal two important contents of meta-belief held by the Sambas Madurese migrants: ‘people of the barracks’, and ‘evil and criminal’. As a disadvantaged group, the Sambas Madurese resort to more covert and subtle forms of resistance, mainly through reappropriation and daily life changes to disprove meta-beliefs. Here, reappropriation of those negative meta-beliefs, mainly linked to moral superiority, is employed. It is observed that the contents of meta-belief go beyond cognitive aspects, including strong emotive components and behavioral responses. Our study hopes to contribute to a discussion on intergroup relationships among host and disadvantaged migrant communities from ethnic conflict backgrounds.

Venezuelans in Peru: Adaptation attitudes, optimism and relations with host society

AbstractBy August 2023, the global population of Venezuelan migrants and refugees had reached 7.7 million. This constitutes one of the world largest migration movements in the recent decades and is arguably the most significant one in the context of South–South migration. This paper investigates adaptation attitudes of Venezuelan migrants as well as the attitudes towards their adaptation among Peruvian neighbours living in Peru. Furthermore, we explore the importance of optimism and intergroup relations for the adaptation attitudes. For this purpose, we designed and conducted a survey among Venezuelan migrants and their Peruvian neighbours in Peru between April and May 2023. Significant differences in adaptation attitudes were identified between migrants and their native neighbours. Venezuelans exhibited a greater proclivity towards positive adaptation whereas their neighbours demonstrated a tendency to marginalize or separate migrants. This can potentially lead to give rise to heightened conflict between two populations, thereby becoming a significant factor driving further migration of Venezuelans to other countries. However, optimism emerged as significant factor in shaping adaptation attitudes across both populations.

Social and institutional inclusion in multi-ethnic schools enable better intergroup relations for majority youth and higher school achievement for minority youth

Inclusive school climates have been related to more friendly and equal intergroup relations among majority and ethnic minority youth. Yet, comprehensive research distinguishing majority and ethnic minority group perspectives on both social and institutional inclusion, and looking beyond individual perceptions of inclusion is missing. Taking a multi-group and multi-level approach, we assessed the actual social climate (aggregating majority intergroup attitudes within schools) and institutional climate (coding school diversity policies); and we tested associations with intergroup relations (i.e., individual intergroup bias and contact) and school performance (i.e., self-reported Dutch language grades) as individual outcomes for both majority and minority youth. To this end, we draw on a large-scale survey of 1814 native-origin majority and 1068 Turkish- and Moroccan-origin minority youth in the same 65 Flemish-Belgian middle schools. As expected for majority youth, a more inclusive ingroup social climate predicts less intergroup bias; and more social and institutional inclusion jointly predict more intergroup contact with minority peers. For minority youth, an inclusive outgroup social climate predicts higher Dutch grades; yet social and institutional inclusion were unrelated to their intergroup attitudes or contact.

Toward a Typology of Business Groups: A Qualitative Content Analysis

By facilitating wider communication networks and improving the performance of their affiliated businesses in complex environments, businesses can increase their competitiveness. Understanding the characteristics and diversity of business groups is necessary for developing and implementing them. In this study, we examined the question of how business groups can be classified. What criteria can be used to separate them? We conducted a qualitative analysis of the content of 48 scientific journals published between 1999 and 2020 and selected 215 articles based on purposive sampling during two stages of screening. As a result of the content analysis, three main themes were identified: "origins of group control and ownership", "groups' institutional origins", and "intergroup relations". Also, at the first subtheme level, six categories were identified: group control level, group ownership type, diversity of group relations, dependence and cooperation level, relationship structure, and institutional contexts. There are 12 subcategories included in the second-level subthemes. "origin of corporate governance", "type of group ownership", "type of institutional contexts", "intra-group diversification", "extra-group diversification", "internal cooperation", "formalization ratio", "length of relations", "external cooperation", "geographical area", "depth of cooperation", "group maturity level". Lastly, axis factors related to the diversity of business groups were used to develop a set of typologies.

The Influence of Group Categorization and Common Ingroup Identity on Malevolent Creativity, Benevolent Creativity, and Neutral Creativity

Group categorization creates intergroup bias. However, the influence of group categorization on malevolent creativity (MC), benevolent creativity (BC), and neutral creativity (NC) remains unclear. First two studies explored this influence. In Study 1 (N = 79), participants generated lower MC and higher BC toward in-group members than out-group members. In Study 2 (N = 102), lower MC and higher BC were generated when participants were primed by in-group identity than by out-group identity. Furthermore, group composition is not static but rather a dynamic process. Individuals may establish a common ingroup identity with out-group members while altering their groups, which can mitigate intergroup bias and promote harmonious intergroup relationships, potentially influencing individuals’ MC, BC, and NC. Therefore, last two studies explored this influence. Study 3 (N = 134) first validated the findings of Study 1. Then, by recategorizing existing groups to establish a common ingroup identity among different groups’ members, finding a common ingroup identity could reduce MC and enhance BC towards out-group members. Study 4 (N = 123) further extended this influence to the priming effect and found even when individuals were primed by different group identities, priming a common ingroup identity can reduce MC and enhance BC toward others. In all studies, NC remained consistently unaffected. In conclusion, group categorization and common ingroup identity can affect MC and BC, but not NC. The AMORAL model, intergroup bias, and common ingroup identity model were used to explain our findings, while limitations and future research directions were discussed in detail.

Are basic psychological needs linked to collective narcissism and secure ingroup identity?

ABSTRACT Self-determination theory links frustrated needs to defensiveness, whereas satisfied needs to openness in interpersonal relations. Past work on intergroup relations and social identity differentiates between defensive (i.e. collective narcissism) and secure forms of ingroup identities. Here, we investigated how frustrated versus satisfied basic psychological needs (i.e. autonomy, competence, and relatedness) are associated with collective narcissism versus secure ingroup identity in a national context. In a two-wave longitudinal study (N = 297), frustrated competence predicted higher collective narcissism over time. Frustrated relatedness negatively predicted Time 2 collective narcissism. However, Time 2 secure ingroup identity was positively predicted by satisfied autonomy and negatively by frustrated competence. Results demonstrate the importance of self when identifying with groups in distinct ways.

"Oh, the places you'll go": The psychological consequences of omission and misrepresentation for Native children.

All children navigate the world by searching for information in their sociocultural contexts (e.g., schools, media, laws) to make sense of their experiences and potential futures. In doing so, Native children, however, must contend with the legacy and ongoing oppression of their Peoples, communities, and ways of being. In this manuscript, we highlight how sociocultural contexts stemming from settler colonialism undermine Native futures. We detail how settler colonialism, specifically its manifestation in acts of omission and misrepresentation, impacts children's self and identity development, and intergroup relations. We close by acknowledging the importance of understanding development in context, and the power that the representational landscape can have for promoting paths toward positive child development and greater equity.

Digital Natives and Community Resilience: An Exploration of AAPI Families’ Digital Technology Use

The current study adopted community resilience and explored Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) digital natives’ supporting family members’ digital technology use and outcomes related to engagement. A sample of 29 AAPI late adolescents answered open-ended questions about the challenges, benefits, and familial dynamics when the group helped or instructed older family members in using digital technologies. Findings showcased complex intergroup dynamics between digital natives and their family members, including increased mutual respect, greater communication access, and worry of family members’ physical ailments interrupting digital technology use. Outcomes demonstrated how AAPI digital natives, amid family systems, embraced collectivist tendencies as a means of resilience amid the ongoing challenges related to digital technology use.

Building Bridges in Diverse Societies: A Meta-Analysis of Field Experimental Cooperative Learning Studies on Intergroup Relations in Educational Settings

Cooperative learning has been widely utilized as an intervention to enhance intergroup relations in diverse societies, drawing on intergroup contact theory. Despite numerous field experiments testing its effectiveness in educational contexts, a comprehensive meta-analyses evaluating its overall efficacy has yet to be conducted. This meta-analysis aims to assess the magnitude of the effect of cooperative learning on promoting intergroup relations within experimental field studies conducted in educational settings. The article search was performed according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria across ERIC, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and SpringerLink. Data analysis involved generating forest plots, conducting heterogeneity tests, calculating summary effects using a random effects model, and identifying publication bias. The meta-analysis of 18 field experimental intervention studies, involving 5265 participants, revealed that cooperative learning intervention programs positively impact intergroup relations, with a moderate effect size (ES = 0.33; 95% CI [0.25, 0.40]). Consequently, cooperative learning can be employed as an alternative strategy to bridge gaps, reduce prejudice, and improve relations among groups with diverse social identities in educational settings.

Considerations of Intersectionality in Psychological research

At the forefront of the increasingly popular intersectionality agenda in psychology is the wellbeing of individuals. The British Psychological Society states that a key principle of psychological research is to “consider societal benefits” and “contribute to the common good” (BPS, 2021). There is an abundance of evidence on the harmful outcomes of negative intergroup relations and systemic oppression on marginalised individuals. For example, marginalised groups often experience educational and economic disadvantages (Porter, 2011) alongside both physical and mental health disparities (English et al., 2022; Mitchell et al., 2021; Stevens-Watkins et al., 2014). Consequently, psychology as a discipline should prioritise advocating for a more equitable society.

Contextualizing the Manifestation of Gendered Colonialist Microaggressions: A Qualitative Study on Post-Colonial Migration Experiences Among Immigrant Women

Over the last decade, the framework of microaggressions has been adopted to examine subtle manifestations of discrimination from the perspective of socially disadvantaged groups. However, the microaggressions literature is strongly U.S.-centered, and very few studies have been conducted in other societal contexts, such as European countries characterized by distinct migration patterns and post-colonial intergroup relations. Moreover, foreign-born immigrant women have been overlooked in microaggression research. The present qualitative study draws upon post-colonial feminist theory and adopts an intracategorical intersectional approach to examine the experiences of foreign-born immigrant women in Portugal. Ten focus groups were conducted with 52 participants ( Mage = 34.2, SD = 10.2). Data were analyzed via a two-step process thematic analysis (TA) approach. First, codebook TA was used to produce nine themes building on previous microaggressions taxonomies. Then, reflexive TA was applied to generate four macro-themes related to post-colonial discourses. As a result, we propose a taxonomy of Gendered Colonialist Microaggressions and a theoretical framework linking these subtle forms of discrimination to social representations of immigrant women, rooted in colonial legacies and systemic power disparities. This study highlights the understudied psychological and societal implications of microaggressions in post-colonial settings, raising new questions and providing directions for future action.

Public Support for the Accommodation of Religious Diversity: The Interplay Between Religious Identification, Threat Perception, and Cross‐Group Friendships

AbstractAccommodating new religious communities has become a central issue in Western Europe. However, the role of religious identification in shaping intergroup relations still needs to be better understood. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the factors influencing public support for the accommodation of religious diversity, drawing on two statistically representative surveys conducted in Catalonia, Spain. The results revealed that religious identification moderates the relationship between the perception that religions other than Catholicism threaten society's way of life and the level of support for accommodating religious diversity. Contrary to initial assumptions, practicing Catholics were more supportive of religious accommodation than nonpracticing Catholics and nonbelievers, regardless of the level of threat they perceived. Moreover, cross‐group friendships mitigated the negative impact of perceived threat on support for religious accommodation, particularly among nonbelievers. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of cross‐group friendships in fostering more inclusive societies and provide valuable insights for religious governance.

Us or them: How COVID‐19 vaccine priority influences perceptions of local‐migrant worker relations

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic laid bare pre‐existing societal fault lines, placing immense strain on intergroup relations and giving rise to xenophobic sentiments. Drawing on Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT) and Social Identity Approach (SIA), our study examined how the public allocation of COVID‐19 variant vaccines could influence the dynamics between local citizens and migrant workers, and under what conditions. One key idea is that valued resource distribution that favour migrant workers may produce increased perceptions of realistic threats among local citizens which could lead to exacerbated negative attitudes and behaviours of high‐status local citizens towards low‐status migrants, whereas higher fairness perceptions of such resource distributions could potentially mitigate these negative attitudes and behaviours. To investigate these predictions, we employed a cross‐cultural approach and conducted an experiment in both an Asian country (Malaysia; N = 197) and a Western country (Australia; N = 210). We manipulated vaccine prioritisation, assessed local citizens' perceptions of the realistic threat and fairness of vaccine prioritisation, and measured their attitudinal responses towards migrant workers. Our results showed that the perceived unfairness in migrant‐favouring vaccine prioritisation, rather than realistic threat, negatively affected local citizens' perceptions of the migrant workers. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of intergroup relations.

Fostering Social Cohesion in Post‐Conflict Societies: The Power of Normative Apologies in Reducing Competitive Victimhood and Enhancing Reconciliation and Intergroup Negotiation

ABSTRACTThe present research investigated whether a normative outgroup apology enhances conciliatory attitudes (i.e., willingness for intergroup contact and feelings of peace) and intergroup negotiations while reducing competitive victimhood. In three experiments (N = 855) conducted in the post‐conflict context of Kosovo, we manipulated the normative apology by informing participants that the majority of outgroup members (i.e., Serbs) apologized for the Kosovo war. We compared this normative apology condition with an institutional apology, in which a Serbian representative apologized for the Kosovo war on behalf of the Serbian government (in all experiments), and a control (i.e., baseline) condition in which no apology‐related information was presented (Experiments 1 and 2). Overall, the results showed that participants in the normative apology condition reported greater willingness for contact with outgroup members, increased feelings of peace, greater support for intergroup negotiations, and reduced competitive victimhood compared to participants in other conditions. In addition, Experiment 3 revealed that outgroup humanization mediated the effect of normative apology on conciliatory attitudes, intergroup negotiations and competitive victimhood. In sum, these findings showed that normative apologies play a critical role in improving intergroup relations and reducing conflict‐related tensions.

What Is the (Lack Of) Integration? An Intergroup Perspective Using the Photovoice Methodology

Photovoice is a participatory action research (PAR) method that employes photographic language to explore individuals’ stories and living contexts. This study explores the representations of young participants, both immigrants and non-immigrants, concerning integration—defined within Berry’s (1997) framework as a bidirectional process of cultural and social adaptation between migrants and host communities—and the lack of integration within their neighborhood in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The participants included 12 young individuals (6 migrants and 6 locals) aged 19 to 29, two peer researchers, and one researcher. Over the course of two weekly three-hour meetings, participants captured and discussed photos depicting their perspectives on integration. The findings highlighted diverse conceptualizations of integration. Participants emphasized the reciprocal relationship between migrants and locals, illustrating how positive interactions with schools, workplaces, and public spaces facilitate integration. Additionally, successful migrants were seen as models of empowerment. Conversely, themes such as poverty, loneliness, discrimination, and the impact of war emerged as significant barriers to integration. This study underscores the dynamic and interactive nature of integration, as experienced by young people in multicultural settings. It highlights how Photovoice methodology can effectively capture nuanced perspectives on integration, foster mutual understanding, and facilitate intergroup relationships. The method fosters personal and community reflection, actively engaging its audience in critical discussions about integration.