Differentiating Among Outgroups: Predictors of Congruent and Discordant Prejudice (Report‪)‬

The role of the self as an anchor in determining the extent to which we like or dislike other people has been well-established (Festinger, 1954; Hoyle, Kernis, Leary, & Baldwin, 1999; Suls & Miller, 1977). In general, the higher the degree of similarity we share with others, the more we tend to favor them over individuals with lesser degrees of similarity (Heider, 1958; Tesser, 1986; Tesser, Millar, & Moore, 1988). Given the high saliency, then, of our own recognition of self (Baumgardner, 1990), the saliency of evaluations of others vis-a-vis these similarities or dissimilarities has garnered much empirical attention. In terms of explaining this evaluative process, one model which has received much attention is the minimal group model (Tajfel, Flament, Billing, & Bundy, 1971; Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 1986). According to this model, individuals automatically favor those similar to them (i.e., the ingroup) and reject those not similar to them (i.e., the outgroup). This process occurs on both an individual and group level (Hogg, 1987, 1992), and often results in discrimination (Mullin & Hogg, 1998). Although not discussed here, some possible explanations for this process include self-categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987), social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986), evolutionary psychology (Buss & Kenrick, 1998), and group norm theory of attitudes (Sherif & Sherif, 1953).