Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations
Researchers have proposed that intergroup prejudice is partially caused by behavioral immune system mechanisms. Across four studies (total N = 1,849), we used both experimental (pathogen priming) and individual differences (pathogen disgust sensitivity [PDS]) approaches to test whether the behaviora...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2019-02-01
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| Series: | Evolutionary Psychology |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704919826851 |
| _version_ | 1818551277685047296 |
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| author | Tingting Ji Joshua M. Tybur Mark van Vugt |
| author_facet | Tingting Ji Joshua M. Tybur Mark van Vugt |
| author_sort | Tingting Ji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Researchers have proposed that intergroup prejudice is partially caused by behavioral immune system mechanisms. Across four studies (total N = 1,849), we used both experimental (pathogen priming) and individual differences (pathogen disgust sensitivity [PDS]) approaches to test whether the behavioral immune system influences prejudice toward immigrants indiscriminately (the generalized out-group prejudice hypothesis) or specifically toward immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology (the origin-specific out-group prejudice hypothesis). Internal meta-analyses lend some support to both hypotheses. At the experimental level, pathogen primes had no effect on attitudes toward origin-unspecified immigrants or immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology. At the individual differences level, PDS has a unique negative effect on comfort with immigrants from pathogen-rich ecologies but not on comfort with immigrants from unspecified ecologies. However, pathogen disgust sensitivity was negatively related to the decision to allow entry to both origin-unspecified immigrants and immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:57:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a6fe38c2cc774a9c9516584aba521cbc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1474-7049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:57:45Z |
| publishDate | 2019-02-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-a6fe38c2cc774a9c9516584aba521cbc2022-12-22T00:29:56ZengSAGE PublishingEvolutionary Psychology1474-70492019-02-011710.1177/1474704919826851Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup RelationsTingting Ji0Joshua M. Tybur1Mark van Vugt2 Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the NetherlandsResearchers have proposed that intergroup prejudice is partially caused by behavioral immune system mechanisms. Across four studies (total N = 1,849), we used both experimental (pathogen priming) and individual differences (pathogen disgust sensitivity [PDS]) approaches to test whether the behavioral immune system influences prejudice toward immigrants indiscriminately (the generalized out-group prejudice hypothesis) or specifically toward immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology (the origin-specific out-group prejudice hypothesis). Internal meta-analyses lend some support to both hypotheses. At the experimental level, pathogen primes had no effect on attitudes toward origin-unspecified immigrants or immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology. At the individual differences level, PDS has a unique negative effect on comfort with immigrants from pathogen-rich ecologies but not on comfort with immigrants from unspecified ecologies. However, pathogen disgust sensitivity was negatively related to the decision to allow entry to both origin-unspecified immigrants and immigrants from a pathogen-rich ecology.https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704919826851 |
| spellingShingle | Tingting Ji Joshua M. Tybur Mark van Vugt Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations Evolutionary Psychology |
| title | Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations |
| title_full | Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations |
| title_fullStr | Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations |
| title_short | Generalized or Origin-Specific Out-Group Prejudice?: The Role of Temporary and Chronic Pathogen-Avoidance Motivation in Intergroup Relations |
| title_sort | generalized or origin specific out group prejudice the role of temporary and chronic pathogen avoidance motivation in intergroup relations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704919826851 |
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