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RESEARCH PRODUCT
When Affective (But Not Cognitive) Ambivalence Predicts Discrimination Toward a Minority Group
Maria Giuseppina PacilliAngelica Mucchi-fainaStefano PagliaroAlberto MirisolaFrancesca Romana Alparonesubject
Affective ambivalenceAdultMaleMinority groupSocial Psychologymedia_common.quotation_subjectImmigrationEmigrants and ImmigrantsAffect (psychology)AmbivalenceYoung AdultCognitive dimensions of notationsCognitionDiscriminationHumansYoung adultMinority GroupStudentsMinority Groupsmedia_commonStereotypingEmigrants and ImmigrantCognitionDifferential effectsAffectAttitudeItalyCognitive ambivalenceFemaleStudentPsychologySettore M-PSI/05 - Psicologia SocialeSocial psychologyPrejudiceHumandescription
Individuals often hold ambivalent attitudes (i.e., positive and negative attitudes at the same time) toward groups and social categories. The aim of the present research was to examine the differential effects of affective and cognitive dimensions of ambivalence on the (amplification of) responses towards a minority group. We asked 188 students from the University of Perugia to read a short description of a fictitious group of immigrants. After expressing their affective and cognitive attitudes toward the target group, participants received positive, negative, or no supplementary information about this group. Discrimination was assessed by asking participants to allocate to the target group a percentage of a financial support fund for poor people (both Italian and immigrant) living in their regional area. As expected, we found that only affective ambivalence amplified either negative or positive responses toward the group.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-02-21 | The Journal of Social Psychology |