The Impact of In-Group and Out-Group Homogeneity/Heterogeneity Upon Intergroup Relations

Abstract

This study explores the effect of experimentally manipulated in-group and out-group homogeneity/heterogeneity upon subsequent intergroup discrimination. In order to do this, homogeneity/heterogeneity of the in-group as well as of the out-group was experimentally manipulated. Seventy-two boys and 72 girls, ages 12 to 14, participated in the experiment. On the presumed basis of a perceptual task, they were randomly allocated to minimal social categories, whose variability was manipulated. After performing a perceptual estimation task, they were asked to evaluate the performance of the in-group and out-group in this task. The results indicated that a manipulation of in-group homogeneity/heterogeneity produced not much of an effect: Although a heterogeneous in-group discriminated more than a homogenous one, this difference was not significant. The manipulation of out-group homogeneity/heterogeneity had a much stronger effect: Although subjects discriminated significantly against a homogenous out-group, this discrimination disappeared when the out-group was heterogenous. The theoretical implications of the data are discussed.