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Effects of Minimal Grouping On Implicit Prejudice, Infrahumanization, and Neural Processing Despite Orthogonal Social
Jeremy C Simon1, Jennifer N Gutsell1
1Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02140.
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations : GPIR
|May 13, 2021
Summary
Minimal group categorization can override racial bias, even when race is visually apparent. Arbitrary social groups foster in-group preference, impacting implicit prejudice and dehumanization.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Racial prejudice is a significant form of intergroup bias.
- Re-categorization into minimal groups can reduce typical group classification consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of minimal group membership on implicit racial prejudice and infrahumanization.
- To determine if arbitrary group knowledge overrides salient racial categorizations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a paradigm where race was orthogonal to minimal group membership.
- Measured implicit prejudice and infrahumanization.
- Recorded Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to track processing.
Main Results:
- Participants infrahumanized and exhibited implicit bias toward the minimal out-group.
- No typical implicit racial bias was observed.
- ERPs showed an initial race effect followed by group-based processing.
Conclusions:
- Arbitrary social classifications can create in-group preference.
- Minimal group identity can override visually salient racial categories.
- This challenges the automaticity of racial bias in minimal group contexts.
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