Eerika Finell

Nouns Cut Slices: Effects of Linguistic Forms on Intergroup Bias

Three studies examined the effect of nouns and adjectives for designations of nationality on intergroup bias. In Study 1, participants (N = 237) evaluated group artifacts whose authors’ nationality was labeled with nouns or adjectives. Use of nouns enhanced in-group favoritism, manifested as a preference of the in-group artifact. Study 2 (N = 431) tested the effect of nouns and adjectives on attitudes toward the in-group and out-group focusing on the moderating role of in-group identification. Use of nouns led to a stronger relative preference of the in-group, pronounced especially in low identified group members. Study 3 (N = 979) examined the effect of nouns and adjectives in a more applied survey setting. Intergroup bias concerning material restitution for confiscated property was stronger when the ethnicity of the former owners was labeled with nouns. The article emphasizes that subtle variation in language use has a consistent impact on intergroup evaluation.

Perceived importance of contact revisited: Anticipated consequences of intergroup contact for the ingroup as predictors of the explicit and implicit ethnic attitudes of youth

This study investigated the impact of the perceived importance of intergroup contact on the explicit and implicit attitudes of Finnish adolescents (N = 93) towards Russian immigrants. It is argued that irrespective of the effects of personal contact experiences, perceived importance of contact depends on the anticipated consequences of contact for the ingroup, further divided into realistic (i.e., economic) and symbolic (i.e., cultural) gains. Controlling for age and gender, results showed that there was no association between perceived realistic gains and explicit attitudes, while perceived symbolic ingroup gains were associated with more positive explicit attitudes towards immigrants. In addition, perceived realistic ingroup gains predicted more negative implicit attitudes. Implications for the promotion of cultural diversity and work-related immigration are discussed.

National symbols and distinctiveness: rhetorical strategies in creating distinct national identities.

The purpose of this study is to examine qualitatively how respondents create national distinctiveness using rhetorical identity strategies in the context of four Finnish national symbols. The data consist of 127 essays written by Finnish secondary school students. Analysis revealed five different strategies used to distinguish between the in-group and the out-group. These strategies differ on two dimensions: the level of polarization, and the extent to which the in-group-out-group relationship is depicted as being active versus passive. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the two dimensions of nationalism, particularism and universalism, have an important role in the differentiation processes and therefore highlighted the importance of taking into consideration ideological issues while studying social identities. The meaning of the contents of national identity in the differentiation processes is also discussed.

Blind and constructive patriotism, national symbols and outgroup attitudes

We examined whether there is a relationship between the different forms patriotism can take (i.e., blind vs. constructive) and different representations of ones own nation. We considered two types of national symbols representing the nation in terms of confrontation between groups (polarized symbols) and as a unique entity (unpolarized symbols). In Study 1 we found that blind patriotism was positively associated with the degree to which individuals perceived their nation through confrontation whereas constructive patriotism was positively associated with the degree to which individuals perceived their nation as unique entity. In Study 2 we tested how the relationship between blind patriotism and outgroup attitudes changed when the nation was defined either through confrontation or as a unique entity. The results emphasize the essential role of the specific meaning associated to the nation when studying patriotism and its relation to outgroup attitudes.

Perceived normative pressure and majority adolescents' implicit and explicit attitudes towards immigrants.

The aim of the present study was to examine if perceived normative pressure (i.e., perception of the normative expectations of family and friends regarding ones intergroup attitudes) had a direct impact on majority youths (N = 93) explicit attitudes and moderated the relationship between their implicit (measured with the ST-IAT) and explicit attitudes towards Russian immigrants in Finland. The results indicated that normative pressure is positively associated with the explicit attitudes of adolescents, and that the implicit attitudes of the adolescents towards immigrants surface on the explicit level only when they do not perceive a normative pressure to hold positive intergroup attitudes. More specifically, when there is no normative pressure, the explicit attitudes of youth are, at best, neutral, and reflect their implicit attitudes. In contrast, when normative pressure is perceived to be high, the level of explicit attitudes is generally more positive, and the expression of explicit attitudes is not determined by implicit attitudes. The effects of age, sex, quality of past intergroup contact experiences, and intergroup anxiety were controlled for in the analysis. The findings highlight the importance of taking normative pressure into consideration when studying socially sensitive ethnic attitudes among adolescents.

“It Was Not Me That Was Sick, It Was the Building”: Rhetorical Identity Management Strategies in the Context of Observed or Suspected Indoor Air Problems in Workplaces

Suffering from a contested illness poses a serious threat to one’s identity. We analyzed the rhetorical identity management strategies respondents used when depicting their health problems and lives in the context of observed or suspected indoor air (IA) problems in the workplace. The data consisted of essays collected by the Finnish Literature Society. We used discourse-oriented methods to interpret a variety of language uses in the construction of identity strategies. Six strategies were identified: respondents described themselves as normal and good citizens with strong characters, and as IA sufferers who received acknowledge from others, offered positive meanings to their in-group, and demanded recognition. These identity strategies located on two continua: (a) individual- and collective-level strategies and (b) dissolved and emphasized (sub)category boundaries. The practical conclusion is that professionals should be aware of these complex coping strategies when aiming to interact effectively with people suffering from contested illnesses.

Psychosocial Problems, Indoor Air-Related Symptoms, and Perceived Indoor Air Quality among Students in Schools without Indoor Air Problems: A Longitudinal Study

The effect of students’ psychosocial problems on their reporting of indoor air quality (subjective IAQ) and indoor air-related (IA-related) symptoms has not been studied in schools in a longitudinal setting. Therefore, we analyzed whether changes in students’ psychosocial problems (socioemotional difficulties and perceived teacher–student relations) between the beginning of seventh grade (age 12–13 years) and the end of ninth grade (15–16 years) predicted subjective IAQ and IA-related symptoms at the end of ninth grade. In order to explore the independent effect of psychosocial factors, we focused only on students in schools without observed indoor air problems. The analysis was of longitudinal data (N = 986 students) using latent change modelling. Increased socioemotional difficulties were related to more IA-related symptoms (standardized beta = 0.20) and deteriorated subjective IAQ (standardized beta = 0.20). Increased problems in teacher–student relations were related to deteriorated subjective IAQ (standardized beta = 0.21). Although students’ psychosocial problems explained only 9–13% of the total variances, our findings support the notion that psychosocial factors also need to be taken into account in the evaluation of IAQ and the prevalence of IA-related symptoms in schools.