INDIVIDUAL-GROUP DISCONTINUITY - FURTHER EVIDENCE FOR MEDIATION BY FEAR AND GREED

The authors have previously shown that intergroup interactions are dra matically more competitive than interindividual interactions and have termed this phenomenon a discontinuity effect. They believe that this effect is partly driven by group members' fear of being exploited by t he out-group. Experiment 1 found that when subjects were allowed to se lect a single, safe alternative, a significant, albeit descriptively s maller, competitive effect remained Intergroup competitiveness may als o be driven by greed. Experiments 2 and 3 tested whether the group con text is propitious for providing social support for totally self-inter ested acts. Trained role-players consistently suggested selecting eith er the cooperative or the competitive option in a prisoner's dilemma g ame; and groups received trial-by-trial feedback about the out-group's responding. The pattern of results is consistent with the assumption that, in the presence of a vulnerable opponent, group members tend to provide social support for immediate self-interest.