Social categorization and group-motivated interindividual—intergroup discontinuity
Research on the interindividual—intergroup discontinuity effect
has demonstrated that intergroup relations are often less cooperative
than interindividual relations. The aim of the present paper is to
test whether mere social categorization suffices to create a
group-motivated discontinuity effect. In two experiments, we
manipulated actors' personal versus social identity salience, whereas
controlling for actors' outcome independence (1:1) versus
interdependence (3:3). Making actors' social identity
salient using a minimal group treatment was sufficient to increase
defection in a Prisoner's Dilemma Game, irrespective of whether this
was in an interindividual or intergroup interaction (Experiment
1). Using a Mutual Fate Control matrix in Experiment 2, results
indicate that this effect can be attributed to actors' increased
motivation to maximize relative differences to outgroup opponents
under social identity salience.
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