STRENGTH OF IDENTIFICATION AND INTERGROUP DIFFERENTIATION - THE INFLUENCE OF GROUP NORMS

The present study aimed at showing that the relationship between ident ification and ingroup bias is moderated by salient group norms that pr escribe or proscribe differentiation in an intergroup context. A study (N=191) in which level of identification and group norms were manipul ated showed that high identifiers acted more in accordance with a sali ent differentiation norm compared to low identifiers. When a fairness norm was made salient, however, the Expected difference was not obtain ed. The results are discussed in the context of the inconsistent relat ionships between ingroup bias and identification found in previous res earch. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.