Effect of prestige and CREDs on intergroup aggression
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | We investigate how aggression towards enemy out-group spreads among in-groups during intergroup conflicts. Focusing on the role of learning biases, we tested whether prestige and credibility enhancing displays of in-group leaders motivate other in-groups to participate in intergroup aggression. Using a minimal group paradigm and an intergroup prisoner’s dilemma with maximized differences on a Czech sample, our results show that the transmission of intergroup aggression is promoted by credibility enhancing displays and by the prestige of group leaders, not their dominance. Furthermore, taking advantage of the naturally occurring event, the storming of the US Capitol, we studied whether group affiliation influences how Americans perceive the aggressive behavior of the shooting officer and shot A. E. Babbitt. Our findings suggest that the group affiliation and the support for the storming predict perceived prestige and dominance diversely for both actors. We conclude that given the context of an intergroup conflict, leaders can increase participation in aggressive behaviors towards out-groups by prestigious motivation, sidestepping the coercive pathway of dominance. |
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