Is Andy Murray More British Than Scottish? It Depends on His Success! Game Outcome and the MOATing Effect

Prior research indicates that when we shared a part of a social identity with others, we tend to include or exclude them from our in-group depending on their success and failure. In this research, we investigated the extent to which this strategy (i.e., MOATing, "moving others away/toward the in-group") is used for self-enhancement as compared to self-protection. Our experiment included a stereotype measure that assessed whether others were perceived as more typical of the in-group or the out-group. The results generally replicate those of prior research and suggest that MOATing primarily serves a self-enhancement function. We discuss theoretical and methodological implications.