POSITIVE-NEGATIVE ASYMMETRY IN SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION - THE IMPACT OF STIMULUS VALENCE AND SIZE AND STATUS DIFFERENTIALS ON INTERGROUP EVALUATIONS

This article deals with a positive-negative asymmetry in social discri mination. While social psychological research investigating in-group f avouritism has primarily focused on positive evaluations of in- and ou t-group, a study is presented which examines intergroup differentiatio n in the positive and in the negative domain. In this study, we examin e the influence of stimulus valence (positive vs. negative) and size a nd status differentials on intergroup differentiation. The dependent m easures included evaluative attributes which referred either to a stat us-related or to a status-unrelated dimension. As expected, generally there was in-group favouritism in the positive domain in which inferio r minorities showed highest biases. In-group favouring evaluations in the negative domain appeared only under 'aggravating' condition, i.e. when the in-group had inferior and minority status. However, while thi s pattern of findings was true with respect to status-unrelated measur es, there was a mere reproduction of the status manipulations on measu res which were related to the status differential.