Separating Status from Power as an Antecedent of Intergroup Perception

Jennifer G. Boldry (1) , Lowell Gaertner (2)

1 MSU - Montana State University
2 The University of Tennessee [Knoxville]

Status and power covary such that higher status groups are typically higher power groups. This research explored the effect of status on intergroup perception controlling for power. Experiment 1 manipulated the relative status of social groups and explicitly provided the groups equal power. Experiment 2 manipulated status and power orthogonally. Multiple measures yielded consistent patterns indicating that status affected perceived group centrality and variability independent of power. The patterns were consistent with a strategic intergroup comparison account as suggested by social identity theory. Specifically, the effect of status on intergroup perception varied with the relevance and valence of the dimension of comparison in a manner that balanced social reality with a positive social identity.

Mots clés: group perception; group variability; heterogeneity; homogeneity; in-group homogeneity; ingroup homogeneity; intergroup perception; outgroup homogeneity; out-group homogeneity; power; status

Jennifer G. Boldry, Lowell Gaertner. Separating Status from Power as an Antecedent of Intergroup Perception. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 2006, 9 (3), pp.377-400. ⟨10.1177/1368430206064640⟩. ⟨hal-00571622⟩