Uncertainty reduction, self-enhancement, and ingroup identification.
Two experiments tested the prediction that uncertainty reduction and self-enhancement motivations have an interactive effect on ingroup identification. In Experiment 1 (N = 64), uncertainty and group status were manipulated, and the effect on ingroup identification was measured. As predicted, low-uncertainty participants identified more strongly with a high- than low-status group, whereas high-uncertainty participants showed no preference; and low-status group members identified more strongly under high than low uncertainty, whereas high-status group members showed no preference. Experiment 2 (N = 210) replicated Experiment 1, but with a third independent variable that manipulated how prototypical participants were of their group. As predicted, the effects obtained in Experiment 1 only emerged where participants were highly prototypical. Low prototypicality depressed identification with a low-status group under high uncertainty. The implications of these results for intergroup relations and the role of prototypicality in social identity processes are discussed.
Reid
Scott A
SA
Department of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4020, USA. scottreid@comm.ucsb.edu
Hogg
Michael A
MA
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D035501:Uncertainty