Us and them: Social categorization and the process of intergroup bias.
Abstract
Three studies tested the hypothesis that the use of words referring to in-group or out-group status (such as us or them) may unconsciously perpetuate intergroup biases. In Experiment 1, nonsense syllables unobtrusively paired with in-group designating pronouns (e.g., we) were rated as more pleasant than syllables paired with out-group designators (e.g, they). In Experiment 2, in-group and out-group designators presented briefly to Ss as masked primes were found to influence the time required for Ss to evaluate subsequently presented trait adjectives, even though Ss were unaware of the group-designating primes. In Experiment 3, the masked prime we facilitated S reaction times to positive person descriptors, as compared to the effects of the masked prime they and the masked control prime xxx. The pronoun they; however, did not significantly facilitate S decisions concerning negative person descriptors. Several researchers have proposed that ethnocentrism and prejudice have their origins in the process of social categorization, when people subjectively classify others as members of their own group (in-group) or as members of another group
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Sentences starting with 'We are' and 'They are' are associated with the 'us versus them' dynamics.
“To assess the social identity biases for each language model, we generated a total of 2,000 sentences prompting with ‘We are’ and ‘They are’, which are associated with the ‘us versus them’ dynamics47, excluding sentences that did not pass minimal quality and diversity checks (Methods).”
From Generative language models exhibit social identity biases (2024) · cites this paper as [47]
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Generative language models exhibit social identity biases
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“…the social identity biases for each language model, we generated ingroup or outgroup sentences starting with “We are” or “They are”, which are associated with the “us” vs. “them” dynamics [42], excluding sentences that did not pass minimal quality and diversity checks (see Materials and Methods).”
How the Subjective Relationship Between the Self, Others, and a Task Drives Interest
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- Authors
- Perdue, C. W., Dovidio, J. F., Gurtman, M. B., & Tyler, R. B.
- ORCID
- Dovidio, John F.
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1990-09
- Volume
- 59
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 475-486
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W2166076367
- Cited by
- 527
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 48.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Categorization, perception, and language
- Keywords
- social categorization, intergroup bias, pronouns, unconscious priming, masked primes, ethnocentrism, prejudice, person perception, trait adjectives
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