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Inferring Identity From Language: Linguistic Intergroup Bias Informs Social Categorization
Shanette C Porter1, Michelle Rheinschmidt-Same2, Jennifer A Richeson2
1Consortium on School Research, University of Chicago shanette@gmail.com.
Psychological Science
|December 6, 2015
Summary
People infer a communicator's social identity based on their language use. Using favorable linguistic intergroup bias (LIB) suggests shared identity, while unfavorable LIB suggests an out-group identity.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Linguistics
- Communication Studies
Background:
- Linguistic intergroup bias (LIB) describes how language use varies when discussing in-groups versus out-groups.
- Favorable LIB involves abstract language for desirable behaviors and concrete language for undesirable behaviors of in-group targets.
- Unfavorable LIB involves concrete language for desirable behaviors and abstract language for undesirable behaviors of out-group targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether communicators' implicit linguistic messages serve as cues for inferring their social identity.
- To test the reverse inference of linguistic intergroup bias (LIB).
Main Methods:
- Four experimental studies were conducted.
- Participants evaluated communicator-target relationships based on the communicator's language use (favorable vs. unfavorable LIB).
Main Results:
- Participants successfully inferred a communicator's social identity based on their use of linguistic intergroup bias (LIB).
- A shared social identity between communicator and target was more strongly inferred when the communicator employed favorable LIB.
Conclusions:
- The use of linguistic intergroup bias (LIB) is a significant cue for social identity inference.
- This research demonstrates the power of implicit linguistic markers in shaping social perceptions and group dynamics.
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