Perceived Outgroup Threat Research Articles

Increased alertness and moderate ingroup cohesion in bonobos' response to outgroup cues.

In a number of species, including humans, perceived outgroup threat can promote ingroup cohesion. However, the distribution and selection history of this association across species with varied intergroup relations remains unclear. Using a sample of 8 captive groups (N = 43 individuals), we here tested whether bonobos, like chimpanzees, show more affiliative ingroup behaviour following perception of outgroup cues (unfamiliar male long-distance vocalisations). We used comparable methods to our previous study of captive chimpanzees, and found that, although weaker, there was an association for more frequent social grooming in response to the outgroup condition than the control condition, alongside more alert posture and increased self-directed behaviour. This provides preliminary evidence for an ancestral origin to the proximate association between outgroup cues and ingroup cohesion, at least prior to the Pan-Homo split, and suggests the presence of intergroup competition in our last common ancestor.

Norms of equality reduce prejudice towards migrants, but only among conservatives

AbstractPeople are sensitive to norms, but under what conditions promoting anti‐prejudice norms reduce prejudice remains unclear. Three studies among Dutch participants (total N = 700) examined the effects of (in)equality norms on prejudice towards migrants. To gain greater clarity, we also examined how potential boundary conditions—namely economic and social ideologies—moderate this relationship. A norm of equality was measured (Study 1) or manipulated (Studies 2a and 2b). In Study 1, a perceived norm of equality predicted lower prejudice towards migrants, operationalised as cold feelings, social distance, and perceived outgroup threat, through the increased personal endorsement of equality, particularly among (economic) rightists. In two experiments (Studies 2a and 2b), as well as in a joint analysis of both studies, we found that inducing an equality norm (vs. not) mitigated prejudice towards migrants, but only among (social) rightists. These findings highlight the positive role of social norms promoting equality in combating prejudice and the importance of considering boundary conditions for this role, such as ideology. We discuss the implications for theory and practice regarding prejudice (reduction). Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's .

Friend–Enemy Divided Thinking from the Perspective of Intergroup Conflict: Relationship with International Attitudes and Conspiracy Beliefs

The cognitive process of social categorization and perceived outgroup threat leads to the perception of the world as divided into intergroup conflict relations between enemy and friend groups—termed “friend–enemy divided thinking.” This study proposes the concept of friend–enemy divided thinking from the perspective of intergroup conflict and examines how this concept affects (1) political attitudes toward international relations and (2) conspiracy beliefs, which are closely related to intergroup conflict. A survey was conducted in Japan ( N = 735). The results showed that the stronger the friend–enemy divided thinking is, the stronger the conspiracy beliefs are. People with stronger friend–enemy divided thinking felt threatened by national defense and immigration and supported negative policies against international relations. Both conspiracy beliefs and negative political attitudes toward national defense and immigration in international relations were interpreted to be associated with the perception of a hostile intergroup conflict that is heightened by friend–enemy divided thinking.

Focusing on fake news’ contents: The association between ingroup identification, perceived outgroup threat, analytical‐intuitive thinking and detecting fake news

AbstractThis study aims to reveal the fake news content in the context of the social identity approach and to examine the mediating role of perceived outgroup on the association between ingroup identification and detecting fake news blaming ingroup, outgroup, or fictional groups. Study 1 found that fake news could be gathered under six themes: contacted‐outgroup blaming, represented‐outgroup blaming, outgroup derogation, outgroup appreciation, ingroup glorification, and phantom‐mastermind blaming. In preregistered Study 2 with representative non‐weird participants (N = 216), we examined the mediating role of perceived outgroup threat on the association between ingroup identification and detecting fake news revealed in Study 1. Perceived outgroup threat was only mediating for detecting outgroup‐blaming fake news when intuitive and analytical thinking styles were controlled. Detecting ingroup‐blaming fake news was associated with ingroup identification. Analytical thinking predicted only detecting phantom‐mastermind‐blaming fake news. Findings demonstrated that the contents of fake news play a vital role in detecting them, and variables pointing to content (i.e., ingroup identification for ingroup‐blaming fake news, and perceived outgroup threat for outgroup‐blaming fake news) are predictive for detecting fake news.

Exploring the Influence of Perceived Ingroup and Outgroup Threat on Quality of Life in a Region Impacted by Protracted Conflict.

While the detrimental effects of protracted political conflict on the wellbeing of Palestinians living in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) are generally recognized, the impact of perceived threat on quality of life (QoL) faced from within their community (ingroup; Palestinians) and from the outgroup (Israelis) is unexplored. This cross-sectional study examined the following: (1) The status of perceptions of QoL on four domains measured by the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-Bref) instrument, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment, among Palestinian adults (n = 709) living in the Gaza Strip; (2) The associations between perceived ingroup threat (PIT) and QoL on the four domains; (3) The associations between perceived outgroup threat (POT) and QoL on the four domains. Multivariable linear regression models revealed PIT was negatively associated with QoL in each of the four domains (p < 0.001). POT was positively associated with QoL in three of the four domains: physical health (p < 0.001), psychological health (p < 0.001), and social relationships (p < 0.001). This study contributes valuable insights into how QoL is viewed by a group experiencing collective existential threat. The findings expand the limited recognition of the reciprocal roles of perceived threat from the ingroup and outgroup on the QoL of vulnerable populations.

The Contradicting Effect of Intergroup Relations on Creativity Recognition of Creators and Creations

The current study addresses the paradox of creativity recognition, a novel phenomenon in which evaluators appreciate the potential of in-group creators, yet undervalue their creative ideas. Based on construal level theory and social identity theory, we propose that the different perspectives of intergroup relations (i.e., social distance and group identity) are activated by the creations and creators respectively. Four studies aim to reveal the cause of such a novel phenomenon. Our results show that the effects of intergroup relations are contradictory in the creativity recognition of creators and their creations (Study 1). When the target is the creation, the evaluators form a high-level construal to evaluate outsiders’ ideas and spot higher creativity from ideas of outsiders than those of insiders (Studies 2 and 4). By contrast, when the target is the creator, they perceive in-group creators to be more creative than out-group counterparts because of intergroup bias (i.e., perceived out-group threat or in-group liking) (Studies 3 and 4). The opposing effects are counteracted when both creators and their creations are evaluated simultaneously (Study 4). We provide a theoretical framework to describe how and why the paradox emerges.

Threatened Masculinity: Gender-Related Collective Narcissism Predicts Prejudice Toward Gay and Lesbian People among Heterosexual Men in Poland

ABSTRACT We examined the relationships between different types of in-group positivity and prejudice toward gay and lesbian people among heterosexual men. We assumed that prejudice toward gay and lesbian people among heterosexual men should be predicted by gender-related collective narcissism (i.e., an unrealistic belief about in-group’s greatness which is contingent on external validation and extremely sensitive to any signs of threats) and not secure gender in-group identification (i.e., a confidently held in-group evaluation which is independent of the recognition of the group by others and serves as a buffer against threats). Across two studies (final Ns = 212 and 180) we found that gender-related collective narcissism (but not secure gender in-group identification or gender self-esteem) is positively related to prejudice toward gay and lesbian people among heterosexual men. The results of Study 2 demonstrated that this relationship was largely accounted for by the perceived out-group threat.

Making America Great Again? National Nostalgia's Effect on Outgroup Perceptions.

Nostalgia is a fond longing for the past that has been shown to increase feelings of meaning, social connectedness, and self-continuity. Although nostalgia for personal memories provides intra- and interpersonal benefits, there may be negative consequences of group-based nostalgia on the perception and acceptance of others. The presented research examined national nostalgia (a form of collective nostalgia), and its effects on group identification and political attitudes in the United States. In a sample of US voters (N = 252), tendencies to feel personal and national nostalgia are associated with markedly different emotional and attitudinal profiles. Higher levels of national nostalgia predicted both positive attitudes toward President Trump and racial prejudice, though there was no evidence of such relationships with personal nostalgia. National nostalgia most strongly predicted positive attitudes toward president Trump among those high in racial prejudice. Furthermore, nostalgia's positive relationship with racial prejudice was partially mediated by perceived outgroup threat. Results from this study will help us better understand how the experience of national nostalgia can influence attitudes and motivate political behavior.

Looking Out For (White) Australia

Abstract. We conceptualized and developed a measure of right-wing protective popular nationalism (RWPPN) – a specific form of popular nationalism where people seek to protect the national culture from outgroup influences. RWPPN is derived from a sociological analysis of right-wing popular nationalism in Australia and is theoretically related to several key psychological constructs, including right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and symbolic threat. We conducted two surveys using nationally representative samples of Australian citizens. In study 1 ( n = 657), participants completed measures of RWPPN and related constructs. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a 10-item scale. Construct validity was tested and confirmed across divergent, convergent, predictive, and concurrent validation domains. Additional convergent validation with RWA and SDO was tested in study 2 ( n = 316). Together, RWPPN was found to relate to expressions of national identity, prejudice, perceived outgroup threat, opposition to multiculturalism, and aggressive tendencies toward ethnic minorities. These effects remained significant when controlling for nationalism (measured as a concern for national superiority) and blind patriotism. In study 2, the effect on aggressive tendencies held when controlling for RWA and SDO and RWPPN mediated the relationship between RWA and aggressive tendencies. Reflecting the conservative nature of Australian popular nationalism, RWPPN correlated with right-wing political alignment. The research was conducted in Australia, but given the rise in right-wing populism internationally, RWPPN may be a phenomenon in other countries. Therefore, this paper offers a new construct and scale to investigate it in Australia and internationally.

Uniting against a common enemy: Perceived outgroup threat elicits ingroup cohesion in chimpanzees.

Outgroup threat has been identified as an important driver of ingroup cohesion in humans, but the evolutionary origin of such a relationship is unclear. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the wild are notably aggressive towards outgroup members but coordinate complex behaviors with many individuals in group hunting and border patrols. One hypothesis claims that these behaviors evolve alongside one another, where outgroup threat selects for ingroup cohesion and group coordination. To test this hypothesis, 5 groups of chimpanzees (N = 29 individuals) were observed after hearing either pant-hoots of unfamiliar wild chimpanzees or control crow vocalizations both in their typical daily environment and in a context of induced feeding competition. We observed a behavioral pattern that was consistent both with increased stress and vigilance (self-directed behaviors increased, play decreased, rest decreased) and increased ingroup cohesion (interindividual proximity decreased, aggression over food decreased, and play during feeding competition increased). These results support the hypothesis that outgroup threat elicits ingroup tolerance in chimpanzees. This suggests that in chimpanzees, like humans, competition between groups fosters group cohesion.

Attitude to multiculturality at school scale: validation and psychometric properties on a Chilean sample

The increasing number of immigrant students on the Chilean educational system stresses the importance of study teachers’ attitudes to multiculturality in schools settings. Nevertheless, there is a lack of adequate measurement instruments to apply on Chilean population. The aim of this work was to validate the Attitude to Multiculturality at School Scale (León del Barco et al., 2007) on a Chilean sample, composed by N=160 teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the unifactorial model had the best fit to the data. Correlation analysis revealed significant relations between attitude to multiculturality at school, perceived out-group threat and prejudice. Linear regression analysis showed that perceived threat and prejudice explained 42% of the attitude to multiculturality at school variability, supporting criterion validity.

The cultural dimension of intergroup conspiracy theories.

Although conspiracy theories are ubiquitous across times and cultures, research has not investigated how cultural dimensions may predict conspiracy beliefs. The present research examined intergroup conspiracy beliefs in United States and Chinese samples at the peak of the trade war. In two studies (one pre‐registered; total N = 1,092), we asked US participants to what extent they believed Chinese institutions and companies were conspiring against the United states and Chinese participants to what extent they believed US institutions and companies were conspiring against China. Results revealed that such beliefs were stronger among Chinese than US participants due to higher power distance values and vertical collectivism. In particular, these cultural dimensions were associated with increased psychological involvement in intergroup conflict (as reflected by higher levels of collective narcissism and perceived outgroup threat), which in turn predicted intergroup conspiracy beliefs. Exploratory analyses suggested that particularly power distance values mediate these effects. We conclude that cultural dimensions that promote hierarchy in society are associated with increased intergroup conspiracy beliefs.

Ideological Biases Weaken the Impact of Social Trust on Ethnic Outgroup Threat

Previous studies have not examined whether (personal) political ideology influences how trusters perceive of immigrants and refugees as a threat. Our contribution to the literature builds on theories of motivated reasoning and hypothesizes that political ideology weakens the ability of social trust to reduce perceived (ethnic) outgroup threat. Indeed, analyses show that the relationship between social trust and perceived outgroup threat is considerably weaker among rightists than among leftists. Although social trust does relate negatively to perceived outgroup threat across the ideological divide, political ideology has a constraining influence that cannot be ignored. Social trust is also a political phenomenon. We apply a fixed-effects regression, and analyses are based on the 2014-European Social Survey, including 21 countries and 32,175 individuals. In the concluding section, we discuss the full implications of our findings for theories of social trust in an era of increasing flows of immigrants and refugees that go beyond the usual gateway nations.

Perceived intergroup competition and adolescents’ behavioural intentions toward minorities: the role of threat, stereotypes and emotions

The main purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of perceived intergroup competition on majority adolescents’ behavioural intentions toward two relevant immigrant groups in the Spanish context, Ecuadorians and Moroccans. We proposed an integrative path model in which perceived intergroup competition led to perception of outgroup threat, which in turn affected warmth stereotypes (morality and sociability). Perceived warmth further fostered positive and negative emotions, which in turn predicted facilitative and harmful interpersonal behavioural tendencies. Following a between subject design, participants (N = 231, Mage = 15.39, SD = 1.09) evaluated Moroccans (n = 114) or Ecuadorians (n = 117) on the examined variables. Results indicate that Ecuadorians were perceived as more moral and sociable and elicited less negative emotions than Moroccans. The model had a good fit for both groups. Perceived intergroup competition predicted perceived outgroup threat which, in turn, fostered perceived morality and sociability. Only perceived morality predicted both positive and negative emotions, whereas sociability elicited only positive emotions. Finally, facilitation intentions were predicted by both positive and negative emotions, while harm intentions were triggered only by negative ones. Results highlight the distinctive role of morality for intergroup relations during adolescence and extend previous literature regarding perceived intergroup competition, stereotype content, emotions and perceived outgroup threat.

Ethnic diversity, ethnic threat, and social cohesion: (re)-evaluating the role of perceived out-group threat and prejudice in the relationship between community ethnic diversity and intra-community cohesion

ABSTRACTResearch frequently demonstrates diverse communities exhibit lower intra-community cohesion. Recent studies suggest there is little evidence perceived ethnic threat plays a role in this relationship. This paper re-examines the roles of ethnic threat and prejudice in the diversity/cohesion relationship. First, we test threat/prejudice as conceptualised in the literature: as mediators of diversity’s effect. Second, we test a reformulation of the roles of threat/prejudice: as moderators of diversity’s effect. Applying multi-level models to cross-sectional and longitudinal data of White British individuals across England and Oldham (a unique English town case-study) we find neighbour-trust lower in diverse communities. However, perceived-threat/prejudice does not mediate this relationship. Instead, we find perceived-threat/prejudice moderate diversity’s impact on neighbour-trust. The result is diversity only reduces neighbour-trust among individuals who already viewed out-groups as threatening. Longitudinal analysis confirms the importance of out-group attitudes in the diversity/neighbour-trust relationship. In diverse communities, residents whose out-group attitudes improve, or worsen, become more, or less, trusting of their neighbours. However, in homogeneous communities, changes in out-group attitudes are not linked to changes in neighbour-trust. We therefore argue and demonstrate that perceived-threat emerges from other societal processes (such as socio-economic precariousness) and it is when individuals who already view out-groups as threatening experience diverse neighbourhoods that local cohesion declines.

I Shield Myself From Thee: Selective Avoidance on Social Media During Political Protests

This study examines the phenomenon of politically motivated selective avoidance on Facebook in the context of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement protests in 2014. We conceptualize selective avoidance as individual choices that users make to shield themselves from undesirable dissonant views by removing unwanted information and breaking social ties that transmit such information. Given the political turmoil and high level of polarization during the protests, we argue that selective avoidance was related to the socio-psychological factor of perceived out-group threat. We present an analysis of a survey of 769 students from Hong Kong conducted at the height of the street protests. We find that 15.6% of the respondents removed content and/or unfriended a Facebook friend during the protests. The use of Facebook for protest-related information and expression was associated with higher likelihood of selective avoidance, which in turn predicted actual participation in the street protests. The level of perceived out-group threat strengthened the positive relationship between Facebook use and selective avoidance. We thus argue that group conflict in a time of political turmoil may catalyze selective avoidance, transforming a heterogeneous socio-informational environment into a more insulated gated community. Such acts may promote protest participation but also lead to a more fragmented and polarized citizenry.

Extracting Social Meaning from a Face: The Neural Substrates and Behavioral Repercussions of Mind Perception

Social cognition requires using visual cues such as a human face to recognize the presence of an entity with a mind. Here, we examined how bottom-up visual evidence and top-down social cues shape inferences about the presence of another mind, and demonstrate behavioral consequences of perceiving minds. Across two experiments, participants viewed morphs between human and inanimate faces that differed in social group membership (nationality in Experiment 1; sports rivalry in Experiment 2), and assessed whether each face had a mind. Neuroimaging revealed that the objective humanness of faces was associated with activity in posterior parietal cortex, and responses in this region were modulated by group membership in a top-down manner (Experiment 1). Moreover, participants perceived faces of out-group members as less able to plan and less able to feel than in-group members or members of a neutral group. However, this bias was flexible as a function of perceived out-group threat: out-group threat was associated with more derogation in judgments of experience, but less derogation in judgments of agency. Finally, differences in mind perception predicted biases in pain management and aggression towards members of the out-group (Experiment 2). This research demonstrates that bottom-up and top-down cues shape the extraction of social meaning from visual evidence, which predicts intergroup bias in downstream behavior. Together, these findings support a theoretical view of mind perception as a dynamic and contextualized process at the intersection of perception and social cognition.

Re-assessing self-interest theory: Can intergroup contact constrain self-interested reactions?

This article expands previous research on self-interested reactions and intergroup contact by showing that (1) intergroup contact constrains the impact of personal economic vulnerability on perceived out-group threat, (2) personal economic vulnerability has no influence on perceived out-group threat when contact is most intense, and (3) the ability of intergroup contact to reduce perceived out-group threat is strongest among the most economically vulnerable. These findings were generated by a fixed-effects regression of 21 countries and almost 34,000 respondents sampled in the European Social Survey (2002–2003). More generally, our findings suggest that self-interested reactions can be overpowered by the cognitive and affective components of intergroup contact. The concluding section expands on the theoretical implications of the results.

Contact and Compromise

Objectives: Informed by intergroup contact theory, this study explores the relationships between intergroup contact, perceived out-group threat, and support for conciliatory solutions to the violent conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinians in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Methods: Regression and structural equation models analyze public opinion data collected in Israel in 2011 and 2012. The analyses assess whether quantity and quality of Israeli Jews’ contact with Israeli Arabs in day-to-day encounters are associated with their support for conciliatory policies. Results: The quality, but not the quantity, of contact is associated with lower levels of perceived Palestinian threat and, in turn, with increased support for compromise. Conclusion: The current study provides initial evidence that everyday interactions with Israeli Arabs, when they occur under optimal conditions, may have the potential to reduce Israeli Jews’ perceptions of Palestinian threat and, in turn, increase their support for compromise.

Gene × environment interaction on intergroup bias: the role of5-HTTLPRand perceived outgroup threat

Perceived threat from outgroups is a consistent social-environmental antecedent of intergroup bias (i.e. prejudice, ingroup favoritism). The serotonin transporter gene polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with individual variations in sensitivity to context, particularly stressful and threatening situations. Here, we examined how 5-HTTLPR and environmental factors signaling potential outgroup threat dynamically interact to shape intergroup bias. Across two studies, we provide novel evidence for a gene-environment interaction on the acquisition of intergroup bias and prejudice. Greater exposure to signals of outgroup threat, such as negative prior contact with outgroups and perceived danger from the social environment, were more predictive of intergroup bias among participants possessing at least one short allele (vs two long alleles) of 5-HTTLPR. Furthermore, this gene x environment interaction was observed for biases directed at diverse ethnic and arbitrarily-defined outgroups across measures reflecting intergroup biases in evaluation and discriminatory behavior. These findings reveal a candidate genetic mechanism for the acquisition of intergroup bias, and suggest that intergroup bias is dually inherited and transmitted through the interplay of social (i.e. contextual cues of outgroup threat) and biological mechanisms (i.e. genetic sensitivity toward threatening contexts) that regulate perceived intergroup threats.