Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

In two experiments participants saw stereotype-incongruent information that was either high or low in variability. Following exposure participants generated distributions of group members from which central tendency and variability information was calculated. The comprehensive retrieval model (Garcia-Marques & Mackie, 1999) predicted greater change in perceived dispersion following high versus low variability incongruent information, but greater central tendency change following low versus high variability exposure. In Experiment 1 participants generated more variable distributions after exposure to high versus low variability inconsistent information and showed greater central tendency revision in the low compared to high variability condition, supporting predictions. These effects were replicated in Experiment 2, which demonstrated similar effects for congruent information.

Affective states can influence evaluative judgments by serving as a source of information in the judgment process. Stigmatized minority groups often elicit negative affective reactions and thus may suffer from the infusion of negative feelings into evaluative judgments made about them. However, a commitment to egalitarian ideals may lead social perceivers to seek to avoid being influenced by their negative affect towards minorities. It was predicted and found that negative feelings about a stigmatized social group (gay men and lesbians) would not be evident in explicit evaluations unless situational cues are present that provide a seemingly legitimate basis for negative evaluation other than the group stigma per se. Thus, even if perceivers consider their negative feelings about minority groups to be `inadmissible information,' when these feelings can be misattributed to some seemingly relevant feature other than the target group's identity, they can indeed result in substantially more negative evaluative reactions.

Several studies on group problem solving have shown that perspective-taking may affect group performance. In this paper, a model is outlined in which the effect of performance attributions on group achievement is assumed to be mediated by the quality of group members' partner spaces (i.e. by their ability to recognize their partners' perspective on a problem). According to the model, the extent to which individuals try to take their partner's perspective is a function of their attributions for poor performance: the more group members attribute negative feedback on performance or disagreement about the correct problem solution to themselves relative to their partners, the more they will try to generate an adequate partner space. Additionally, it is assumed that the quality of the partner spaces has a direct impact on group achievement. These basic assumptions were confirmed by a study in which participants were asked to solve Tower of Hanoi problems in dyads, although attributions themselves did not directly predict achievement.

The impact of a major life transition on identity change is examined in this longitudinal study. Drawing on a framework provided by symbolic interactionism and identity theory (Stryker, 1968, 1987), we examined global self-esteem, interactional commitment and the identity hierarchies of a group of students while they were in secondary school and, again one year later, when they had made the transition to further or higher education. Overall, the data suggested considerable stability across all identities. Analysis examining the relationships among interactional commitment, self-esteem and psychological centrality provided some support for the theoretical framework but also highlighted differences across identities. The implications for future models of long-term identity change are discussed.

Competitive or cooperative relations were imposed between the two experimentally created art discussion groups in each session. Group members indicated their own attitudes and estimated the positions held either by other in-group members or by out-group members in order to assess the effects of target of projection on attitude certainty. As expected, participants assumed greater attitudinal disagreement with competitive compared to cooperative out-groups on the 10 art appreciation issues relevant to their group task. They also assumed more similarity to in-group than to out-group members. Assumed similarity/dissimilarity mediated the effect of projection target on mean increments in attitude certainty, which were greatest in the competitive out-group target condition regardless of issue importance.