title: The loyal member effect: on the preference for ingroup members who engage in exclusive relations with the ingroup.
abstract: The goal of this article was to investigate an indirect form of intergroup differentiation in children in the context of racial attitudes: the preference for ingroup members who interact positively with other ingroup members rather than with outgroup members. Study 1 confirmed this general hypothesis with preschool and 1st-grade children, demonstrating that respondents preferred the ingroup member who played only with other ingroup members, evaluated this child more positively, and felt more similar to him or her. Studies 2 and 3 tested the boundary conditions of the phenomenon. Study 4 analyzed developmental changes demonstrating that the effect is no longer observed among 9- to 11-year-old children. Overall, these studies suggest that engaging in positive interactions with the outgroup might have its costs in terms of a relative devaluation and rejection by one's peers. Results are discussed by stressing the importance of intragroup processes for the regulation of intergroup relations among very young children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Socialization Psychology, Universita di Padova.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1472-4507
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Sussex.
authors.forename: Leyla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Amicis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, Indiana University.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001154:Art; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012919:Social Behavior