Contextual Variations of Infrahumanization: The Role of Physical Context and Territoriality

Abstract

The malleability of the infrahumanization bias was tested varying the physical context in which the ingroup and the outgroup target were assessed. Using a sequential priming paradigm, Study 1 replicated the infrahumanization bias in a neutral context. Study 2 tested the hypothesis that there are contextual variations in infrahumanization. Specifically, Black targets were infrahumanized in a context familiar to White participants, and not in an unfamiliar context. Study 3 revealed that participants’ threat perceptions were reduced when ingroup targets appeared in familiar context, compared to Black targets. Theoretical implications for the infrahumanization bias are discussed

Tethered humanity: Humanizing self and others in response to interpersonal harm

“…Especially in conflictual relationships, the victim may be dehumanized independently of the harm caused by the perpetrator. This prediction is consistent with research showing that priming generic violence (Delgado Rodriguez et al, 2012) or inducing negative feelings such as anger, contempt, or disgust (Bastian et al., 2013; Buckels & Trapnell, 2013; Harris & Fiske, 2006), are sufficient to elicit or intensify the dehumanization of others.…”

We share the Euro, but not our humanity: Humanity attributions are associated with the perceived causes, consequences, and solution to the Greek financial crisis

“…Thus, when comparing these groups with other nations, a complementary attributional process is identified. However, differences in humanity attributions could also be driven by contextual (Delgado, Rodríguez-Pérez, Vaes, Betancor, & Leyens, 2012) or comparative factors. Specifically, the literature on the compensation effect highlights how groups that are portrayed as higher in one social dimension of perception are also judged as lower in the other dimension (Yzerbyt, Kervyn, & Judd, 2008).…”

Dehumanization and Islamophobia: attitudes towards the Syrian refugee crisis / Deshumanización e islamofobia: actitudes ante la crisis de los refugiados sirios

“…Por su parte, la falta de deshumanización del grupo chinos en la muestra de jóvenes puede ser explicada por uno de los factores mediadores expuestos en la investigación deDelgado, Rodríguez-Pérez, et al (2012), el cual hace referencia a la falta de relevancia del exogrupo en el proceso de diferenciación identitaria del endogrupo. En este caso, es posible que el grupo chinos no sea relevante para la identidad ni estima del endogrupo.…”

“…Un tercer factor es el contexto moral en que se coloca al exogrupo, de modo que Betancor, Rodríguez-Pérez, Delgado y Ariño (2012) hallaron que se infrahumanizaba más a los marroquíes después de leer un artículo de prensa en el que se les relacionaba con los terroristas del 11-M que al grupo control. Relacionado con ello,Delgado, Rodríguez-Pérez, et al (2012) hallaron que, si bien el perfil positivo de un exogrupo no es suficiente para evitar la infrahumanización, la identificación del exogrupo como un grupo solidario o la activación de la idea de solidaridad como valor universal, hacen que la infrahumanización desaparezca.…”

“…Another factor is the physical context in which the outgroup is located (Delgado, Betancor, et al, 2012): it was found that if an ethnic outgroup appeared in a place that was pleasant and familiar to the ingroup, they were infrahumanized more than if they were associated with a distant, unpleasant space. Thus, the outgroup tends to be more infrahumanized in the space associated with the ingroup than in the space associated with the outgroup (Delgado, Rodríguez-Pérez, Vaes, Betancor, & Leyens, 2012). A third factor is the moral context in which the outgroup is situated; Betancor, Rodríguez-Pérez, Delgado, and Ariño (2012) found that Moroccans were infrahumanized more after reading a newspaper article that associated them with the terrorists who attacked Madrid on 11 March 2004 than the control group was.…”