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The perception of group variability in a non‐minority and a minority context: When adaptation leads to out‐group differentiation
Author(s) -
Guinote Ana
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1348/014466601164722
Subject(s) - psychology , social psychology , perception , minority group , portuguese , outgroup , group (periodic table) , developmental psychology , ethnic group , sociology , linguistics , philosophy , chemistry , organic chemistry , neuroscience , anthropology
Minority and non‐minority participants (Portuguese living in Germany vs. living in Portugal) completed open‐ended measures of in‐group and out‐group perception. Participants' generated attributes were analysed to assess perceived group variability, complexity of group knowledge, language abstractness, first‐ or second‐hand experience and participants' elaboration. Non‐minority members perceived more out‐group than in‐group homogeneity (the ‘outgroup homogeneity effect’), whereas minority members perceived more in‐group than out‐group homogeneity. This reversed pattern was owing to an increase in out‐group differentiation by minority members and not to differences in in‐group perception. Moreover, compared to majority members, minority members showed a greater elaboration and based their in‐group and out‐group knowledge more on personal beliefs derived from first‐hand experience. These results are in accord with findings in migration research showing that in order to adapt, migrants develop a differentiated perception of the host culture. Conditions that lead group members to differentiate the out‐group are discussed.