PERCEIVED MOTIVES FOR SOCIAL DISCRIMINATI ON - THE IMPACT OF STIMULUS-VALENCE AND PERCEIVERS PERSPECTIVE

A normative explanation for the positive-negative asymmetry in social discrimination is investigated. There is a lack of ingroup-favouritism with respect to intergroup allocations referring to negatively valenc ed stimuli, which contradicts results referring to positively valenced stimuli. This valence-asymmetry is explained by the lower normative a ppropriateness of discrimination within the negative compared to the p ositive domain. To investigate this normative account factors stimulus -valence (positive, negative) and given allocation outcome (parity, in group- and outgroup-favouritism) were varied. Dependent measures were (1) subjects' own allocations and the perceived motives with respect t o (2) the given allocations and (3) subjects' own allocations. Results largely support the investigated hypotheses. With regard to ingroup-f avouritism performed by others socially disapproved motives were more frequent in the negative domain, while socially accepted motives domin ated in the positive one. With respect to ingroup-favouritism choosen by the subjects the pattern of results was reversed. In addition, in t he negative area parity decisions were attributed to self-serving moti ves more frequently than in the positive one. Results are discussed in terms of the normative explanation of the positive-negative asymmetry , which is supported by the presented data.