Relational to collective: significant-other representations, ethnic categories, and intergroup perceptions

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Social Cognition

Background:

• Social perception is influenced by transference, where resemblance to a significant other activates associated representations.
• This process indirectly activates the relational self.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if transference activates the significant other's ethnic category and applies it to a new person.
• To investigate if participants' own ethnic identity is activated alongside the relational self, especially when sharing ethnicity with the significant other.
• To examine how these activations shift intergroup bias, considering the significant other's social network diversity.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted to examine transference effects on social identity and intergroup bias.
• Participants' social-cognitive processes and intergroup bias were measured under conditions of transference.

Main Results:

• Evidence largely supports the dual hypothesis.
• Activating significant-other representations via transference led to the activation of the significant other's ethnic category and the participant's own ethnic identity.
• Shifts in intergroup bias were observed, moderated by the ethnic diversity within the significant other's social network.

Conclusions:

• Transference involves an interplay between relational and collective levels of self.
• Ethnic category activation and self-identity shifts during transference can significantly moderate intergroup bias.