Do Ambiguous Normative Ingroup Members Increase Tolerance for Deviants?

Leite, Ana C.; Pinto, Isabel R.; Marques, José M.

doi:10.1024/1421-0185/a000170

Do Ambiguous Normative Ingroup Members Increase Tolerance for Deviants?

Leite, Ana C.; Pinto, Isabel R.; Marques, José M.

Authors

Dr Ana Leite ana.castro-leite@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Isabel R. Pinto

José M. Marques

Abstract

Subjective group dynamics theory (Marques, Páez, & Abrams, 1998) proposes that deviant ingroup members who threaten the positive value of the group members’ social identity are evaluated negatively. In an experiment, we investigated whether group members evaluate deviant ingroup members less negatively when the normative member’s commitment to the ingroup is ambiguous. Participants evaluated one normative and one deviant ingroup or outgroup member. Two conditions were contrasted, in which the normative target showed high versus low commitment to the group. As predicted, the participants evaluated deviant ingroup targets more negatively and normative ingroup targets more positively than their respective outgroup counterparts – but only when the normative member’s commitment to the ingroup was unambiguous. When presented with a normative member with ambiguous commitment, the deviant ingroup member was evaluated less negatively. We discuss these results in light of subjective group dynamics theory.

Citation

Leite, A. C., Pinto, I. R., & Marques, J. M. (2016). Do Ambiguous Normative Ingroup Members Increase Tolerance for Deviants?. Swiss journal of psychology, 75(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000170

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Nov 11, 2015
Online Publication Date	Jan 19, 2016
Publication Date	Jan 19, 2016
Deposit Date	Jun 13, 2019
Publicly Available Date	Jun 13, 2019
Journal	Swiss Journal of Psychology
Print ISSN	1421-0185
Electronic ISSN	1662-0879
Publisher	Hogrefe
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	75
Issue	1
Pages	47-52
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000170

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Copyright Statement
Swiss Journal of Psychology, 75, 1, © 2016 by Hogrefe. This version of the article may not completely replicate the final version published in Swiss Journal of Psychology. It is not the version of record and is therefore not suitable for citation.