Labelling and discrimination: do homophobic epithets undermine fair distribution of resources?

This research investigated the behavioural consequences of homophobic epithets. After exposure to either a category or a homophobic label, heterosexual participants allocated fictitious resources to two different prevention programmes: one mainly relevant to heterosexuals (sterility prevention), the other to homosexuals (AIDS-HIV prevention). Responses on allocation matrices served to identify strategies that favoured the ingroup over the outgroup. Results indicated stronger ingroup-favouritism in the homophobic than in the category label condition. This study shows that discriminatory group labels have tangible effects on people's monetary behaviours in intergroup contexts, increasing their tendency to favour the ingroup when distributing resources.

[1]  Brian Mullen,et al.  Ethnophaulisms and Exclusion: The Behavioral Consequences of Cognitive Representation of Ethnic Immigrant Groups , 2003, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[2]  A. Manstead,et al.  When does anticipating group-based shame lead to lower ingroup favoritism? The role of status and status stability , 2013 .

[3]  Tom Pyszczynski,et al.  The effect of an overheard ethnic slur on evaluations of the target: How to spread a social disease. , 1985 .

[4]  M. Hogg.  Subjective Uncertainty Reduction through Self-categorization: A Motivational Theory of Social Identity Processes , 2000 .

[5]  A. Maass,et al.  Implicit Versus Explicit Strategies of Out-Group Discrimination , 1996 .

[6]  M. Gurtman,et al.  Us and them: Social categorization and the process of intergroup bias. , 1990 .

[7]  J. Turner,et al.  Social Categorization, Intergroup Behaviour and Self-Esteem: Two Experiments , 1986 .

[8]  A. Maass,et al.  In-Group and Out-Group Perspectives in the Use of Derogatory Group Labels , 2007 .

[9]  M. Rothbart,et al.  Category boundaries and category labels: When does a category name influence the perceived similarity of category members? , 2011 .

[10]  A. Voci.  The link between identification and in-group favouritism: effects of threat to social identity and trust-related emotions. , 2006, The British journal of social psychology.

[11]  C. Insko,et al.  Intergroup discrimination in the minimal group paradigm: categorization, reciprocation, or fear? , 2000, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[12]  F. Pratto,et al.  Vladimir's Choice and the Distribution of Social Resources , 2007 .

[13]  A. Manstead,et al.  Intergroup norms and intergroup discrimination: distinctive self-categorization and social identity effects. , 1996, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[14]  J. Greenberg,et al.  Further Progress in Understanding the Effects of Derogatory Ethnic Labels: The Role of Preexisting Attitudes Toward the Targeted Group , 1996 .

[15]  Luciano Arcuri,et al.  Nomina sunt omina: on the inductive potential of nouns and adjectives in person perception. , 2008, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[16]  Dominic J. Packer,et al.  Modulation of the Fusiform Face Area following Minimal Exposure to Motivationally Relevant Faces: Evidence of In-group Enhancement (Not Out-group Disregard) , 2011, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[17]  Joel Brockner,et al.  Toward an explanation of cultural differences in in-group favoritism: The role of individual versus collective primacy. , 1998 .

[18]  A. Maass,et al.  Enhancing Masculinity by Slandering Homosexuals , 2011, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[19]  Striving for difference: On the spontaneous preference for ingroup members who maximize ingroup positive distinctiveness , 2010 .

[20]  G. Herek,et al.  An epidemic of stigma. Public reactions to AIDS. , 1988, The American psychologist.

[21]  H. Tajfel,et al.  Social categorization and intergroup behaviour , 1971 .

[22]  B. Simon,et al.  Categorization is not enough : intergroup discrimination in negative outcome allocation , 1992 .

[23]  B. Mullen,et al.  Complexity and valence in ethnophaulisms and exclusion of ethnic out-groups: what puts the "hate" into hate speech? , 2009, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[24]  J. Turner,et al.  When are we better than them and they worse than us? A closer look at social discrimination in positive and negative domains. , 2000, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[25]  B. Malle,et al.  Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes. , 1994 .

[26]  F. Pratto,et al.  The effects of social category norms and stereotypes on explanations for intergroup differences. , 2001, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[27]  A. Maass,et al.  Linguistic intergroup bias: Evidence for in-group-protective motivation. , 1996 .

[28]  H. Tajfel,et al.  An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. , 1979 .

[29]  Jolanda Jetten,et al.  Predicting the Paths of Peripherals: The Interaction of Identification and Future Possibilities , 2003, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[30]  Jennifer G. Boldry,et al.  Intergroup perception in naturally occurring groups of differential status: A social relations perspective. , 1999 .

[31]  Florencia K. Anggoro,et al.  Language and Experience Influence Children's Biological Induction , 2010 .

[32]  C. Neil Macrae,et al.  Social cognition: Categorical person perception. , 2001, British journal of psychology.

[33]  Daniel Geschke,et al.  Nouns Cut Slices , 2013 .