I know you are, but what am I? Self-evaluative consequences of judging in-group and out-group members.
When judging another person, people often spontaneously compare this person with themselves. Six studies examined the self-evaluative consequences of such spontaneous comparisons with in-group versus out-group members. They demonstrate that spontaneous comparisons with in-group members primarily involved the activation of specific individuating knowledge about the self. In particular, knowledge indicating that the self is similar to the judged target was rendered accessible. As a consequence, subsequent self-evaluations that were based on the implications of accessible self-knowledge were assimilated toward in-group targets. Spontaneous comparisons with out-group members, however, primarily involved the activation of more general category knowledge about the self. Specifically, knowledge about judges' membership in a group that distinguished them from the target was rendered accessible. Consequently, self-evaluations were contrasted away from out-group targets.
Mussweiler
Thomas
T
Department of Psychology, Universität Würzburg, Germany. mussweiler@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Bodenhausen
Galen V
GV
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires