scholarly journals Expressing Prejudice through the Linguistic Intergroup Bias: Second Language Confidence and Identity among Minority Group Members

2008 ◽  
pp. 109-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Shulman ◽  
Richard Clément1
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Communication Theory ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Verbal Communication ◽  
Intergroup Bias ◽  
Intergroup Communication ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linguistic Intergroup Bias

Abstract The role of verbal communication in the transmission of prejudice has received much theoretical attention (Hecht, 1998; Le Couteur & Augoustinos, 2001), including the features of the linguistic intergroup bias (Maass, Salvi, Arcuri, & Semin, 1989), yet few studies have examined the acquisition of an out-group language as a factor in mitigating prejudicial speech. The conditions under which minority Canadian Francophones use linguistic bias when communicating about the in- and out-group (i.e., Canadian Anglophones) were investigated. Data was collected from 110 Francophone students. Predictions were confirmed but only when out-group identification was considered. Further, out-group identification and second language confidence were both related to a decrease in out-group derogation; however, the same factors appear to promote linguistically biased speech toward the in-group. Results are discussed within current intergroup communication theory.

Compensating the Innocent: Perceptions of Exonerees’ Deservingness to Receive Financial Compensation for Wrongful Convictions

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 710-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry M. Karaffa ◽  
Jaimie Page ◽  
Julie M. Koch
Keyword(s):  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Compensation Policy ◽  
Financial Compensation ◽  
Right Wing Authoritarianism ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Those who have been wrongfully imprisoned face a variety of challenges upon reentering the community, and monetary compensation may be helpful in rebuilding one’s life following a period of incarceration. However, very little is known about factors that may impact public attitudes regarding compensation policy. Using a sample of 396 university students, we investigated the role of exonerees’ race/ethnicity and prior conviction history, as well as participants’ socially dominant and right-wing authoritarian attitudes in explaining beliefs about financial compensation. Results suggest that males, minority group members, and older participants tended to rate hypothetical exonerees as more deserving of financial compensation. Perceptions of deservingness for compensation did not differ according to the exonerees’ race/ethnicity, but exonerees who had no prior convictions were perceived as more deserving compared with those with prior misdemeanor or felony drug convictions. Participants’ right-wing authoritarianism scores were negatively associated with deservingness scores, whereas social dominance orientation scores were not significantly related to deservingness, after controlling for participant demographics and exoneree factors.

Effects of Linguistic Abstractness in the Mass Media

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Geschke ◽  
Kai Sassenberg ◽  
Georg Ruhrmann ◽  
Denise Sommer
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Intergroup Bias ◽  
Positive Behavior ◽  
Negative Behavior ◽  
News Reports ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linguistic Intergroup Bias ◽  
The Mass Media

Media coverage contributes to the perpetuation of stereotypes and prejudice. So far, research has focused on biased content rather than style in reporting about minorities. One such stylistic dimension is the so-called linguistic intergroup bias: The tendency to describe positive behavior of members of one’s own group and negative behavior of other groups’ members in a more abstract way (compared to the same behavior of the respective other group). Recipients of communication biased in this way judge the described individuals in line with abstract descriptions (i.e., own-group members more positively than members of other groups). The current study demonstrates that linguistically biased news reports about minorities lead to higher levels of prejudice. Hence, media coverage does not only affect attitudes about minorities by what is reported, but also by how it is presented.

The Role of the Linguistic Intergroup Bias in Expectancy Maintenance

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Karpinski ◽  
William Von Hippel
Keyword(s):  
Intergroup Bias ◽  
Linguistic Intergroup Bias

Ingroup Love and Outgroup Hate

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Moscatelli ◽  
Monica Rubini
Keyword(s):  
Relative Deprivation ◽  
Intergroup Bias ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Intergroup Communication ◽  
Linguistic Patterns ◽  
Linguistic Abstraction ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linguistic Level ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
High Degree

In everyday life, we are faced with disparate examples of intergroup bias, ranging from a mild tendency to ingroup favoritism to harsh episodes of discrimination, aggression, and even conflicts between groups. Where do they stem from? The origins of intergroup bias can be traced back to two main motivations, that is, attachment to one’s own group (“ingroup love”) and negative feelings toward outgroups (“outgroup hate”). Although lay people, but also some researchers, see the two motivations as intertwined, growing evidence from different fields (e.g., social psychology, evolutionary psychology, and neuroscience) has indicated that intergroup bias is more often driven by needs of ingroup protection and affiliation, which do not imply outgroup hostility or competitive attitudes. Outgroup hate is instead likely to arise in intergroup contexts characterized by a high degree of enmity. It is important that members of the groups involved, but also external observers, recognize ingroup love as the primary motor of intergroup conflict: the attribution of hate to the outgroup’s behavior renders negotiation and conflict resolution harder while at the same time justifying severe aggression or even annihilation of the opposing outgroup. In the domain of intergroup communication, an intriguing way through which group members express their ingroup love and outgroup hate is represented by variations of linguistic abstraction and valence in depicting behaviors performed by ingroup or outgroup members. This unintended use of language reveals that group members are more prone to express ingroup love also at a linguistic level. However, specific changes in intergroup relations along variables such as group size, group status, or relative deprivation can give rise to linguistic patterns of outgroup hate.

scholarly journals The role of optimal conditions and intergroup contact in promoting positive intergroup relations in and out of the workplace: A study with ethnic majority and minority workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 136843022110109
Author(s):  
Gian Antonio Di Bernardo ◽  
Loris Vezzali ◽  
Michèle D. Birtel ◽  
Sofia Stathi ◽  
Barbara Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Intergroup Contact ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Contact Conditions ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Positive Contact

A field study was conducted with majority and minority group members to test whether the effects of optimal contact conditions and of intergroup contact generalize across situations, and extend to the support of intergroup equality in terms of agreement with social policies benefitting the minority group. Participants were 163 Italian and 129 immigrant workers in three corporate organizations. Results from structural equation modelling analyses revealed that, for the majority group, positive contact stemming from optimal contact conditions was indirectly associated, via reduction in negative stereotypes, with more positive behavior that generalized across situations. For both majority and minority groups, positive contact stemming from optimal contact conditions was associated with less negative stereotypes, and in turn with greater support for social policies favoring the minority. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, also in relation to the significance of the present results for research investigating the relation between intergroup contact and social change.

The Effect of Perspective-Taking on Linguistic Intergroup Bias

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costanza Scaffidi Abbate ◽  
Isabella Giammusso ◽  
Stefano Boca
Keyword(s):  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Intergroup Bias ◽  
Level Of Abstraction ◽  
The World ◽  
Linguistic Category Model ◽  
Psychological Experiences ◽  
Linguistic Intergroup Bias

In this experiment, we examined the effect of perspective-taking—actively contemplating others’ psychological experiences—on linguistic intergroup bias. We asked some participants to adopt the perspective of a character (an Italian or a Maghrebian), while others did not receive similar instructions, and complete a short dialogue comprised of a series of vignettes, resulting in a 2 (perspective-taking: presence vs. control) × 2 (group: ingroup vs. outgroup) between-participants design. We analyzed the texts produced on the basis of the linguistic category model. As expected, participants were more likely to describe the outgroup member using less abstract terms when we asked them to take the perspective of a Maghrebian. Since the level of abstraction of the terms used to describe a person’s behavior is considered an index of stereotype use, one might describe Maghrebians less stereotypically when he or she can see the world from their perspective. The results extend previous findings on the role of perspective-taking as it relates to reducing intergroup stereotypes.

When extended contact opens the door to future contact

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Gómez ◽  
Linda R. Tropp ◽  
Saulo Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Minority Group ◽  
The Self ◽  
Intergroup Attitudes ◽  
Intergroup Anxiety ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Extended Contact ◽  
Group Members

The present research tests whether extended contact can predict positive intergroup expectancies, as well as positive intergroup attitudes, among majority and minority group members. Our results replicate and extend prior work by showing that extended contact predicts both positive intergroup attitudes and intergroup expectancies among both majority (Spanish) and minority (immigrant) participants, even when controlling for direct friendship and the quantity and quality of prior intergroup contact. These effects are partially mediated by intergroup anxiety, perceived ingroup norms, and perceived outgroup norms, and the positive effects of extended contact on intergroup attitudes were also partially mediated by the inclusion of ingroup in the self. Additionally, the mediating role of outgroup norms was stronger among immigrant participants than among Spanish participants. Implications of these findings and the value of extended contact for promoting positive intergroup expectancies and preparing people for future contact are discussed.

Social Identity and the Linguistic Intergroup Bias: Exploring the Role of Ethnic Identification in the Context of Intergroup Relations Between Hong Kong and Mainland China

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Intergroup Bias ◽  
Ethnic Identification ◽  
Antisocial Behaviors ◽  
Mainland Chinese ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Linguistic Intergroup Bias

Two survey experiments examined how linguistic intergroup bias (LIB) varies according to ethnic identification within a homogenous ethnic group (Hong Kong citizens). Study 1 showed that Hong Kong citizens who identified as “Hongkonger” used more abstract expressions to describe prosocial behaviors of the in-group (Hong Kong citizen) and antisocial behaviors of the out-group (Mainland Chinese); those who identified as “Chinese” exhibited less LIB. Study 2 found similar results for a context based on location of behaviour (in Hong Kong vs. in China) rather than the nationality of the protagonist. The combined evidence suggests that LIB can have an important intragroup as well as intergroup dimension.

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