Jorge Vala

Stereotype content model across cultures: Towards universal similarities and some differences

The stereotype content model (SCM) proposes potentially universal principles of societal stereotypes and their relation to social structure. Here, the SCM reveals theoretically grounded, cross-cultural, cross-groups similarities and one difference across 10 non-US nations. Seven European (individualist) and three East Asian (collectivist) nations (N=1,028) support three hypothesized cross-cultural similarities: (a) perceived warmth and competence reliably differentiate societal group stereotypes; (b) many out-groups receive ambivalent stereotypes (high on one dimension; low on the other); and (c) high status groups stereotypically are competent, whereas competitive groups stereotypically lack warmth. Data uncover one consequential cross-cultural difference: (d) the more collectivist cultures do not locate reference groups (in-groups and societal prototype groups) in the most positive cluster (high-competence/high-warmth), unlike individualist cultures. This demonstrates out-group derogation without obvious reference-group favouritism. The SCM can serve as a pancultural tool for predicting group stereotypes from structural relations with other groups in society, and comparing across societies.

From infra-humanization to discrimination: The mediation of symbolic threat needs egalitarian norms

This set of studies tests the link between infra-humanization, symbolic threat, and discrimination within normative contexts. In two experiments, manipulating the degree of humanity of a disliked outgroup has an effect upon the discrimination towards it. The infra-humanized outgroup is more discriminated than the humanized one. Also, the perception of symbolic threat plays the role of a justifying factor for discrimination, and mediates the relationship between degrees of humanity and discrimination. Study 2 further shows that this mediation occurs only when an egalitarian norm is activated, and not when meritocracy is made salient. The discussion focuses on factors likely to prevent infra-humanization of outgroups. It also considers how norms may change the role of threat.

As novas formas de expressão do preconceito e do racismo

Recentemente tem-se verificado uma condenacao social aberta as formas mais tradicionais e flagrantes de racismo. Em consequencia, em varias partes do mundo, alguns estudos utilizando metodologias tradicionais de coleta de dados tem demonstrado que os estereotipos negativos associados aos negros tem diminuido. Todavia, novas e mais sofisticadas formas de expressao do preconceito e do racismo tem surgido, corporificando muitos comportamentos cotidianos de discriminacao, quer ao nivel institucional, quer ao nivel interpessoal. Estas novas formas de expressao do preconceito e do racismo produzem na psicologia social varias teorizacoes. Temos as teorias do racismo moderno, do racismo simbolico, do racismo aversivo, do racismo ambivalente, do preconceito sutil e do racismo cordial, dentre outras. Neste trabalho procuramos analisar cada uma das novas teorias sobre o preconceito e sobre o racismo, e discorremos sobre o suporte empirico que fundamenta cada uma dessas teorias.

Risk Perception and Technological Development at a Societal Level

This article tests the hypothesis that the exposure to the threat to societies posed by the introduction of new technologies is associated with a normalization of risk perception. Data collected in 2000 by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) on environmental issues were used to explore this hypothesis. Representative samples from 25 countries were employed to assess the national levels of perceived threat to the environment associated with a series of technologies and activities. These values were correlated with economic indicators (mainly from the World Bank) of the diffusion of each of the technologies or activities in each country. Results indicate a negative association of risk perception with the level of technological prevalence (societal normalization effect) and a positive association with the rate of growth of the technology (societal sensitivity effect). These results indicate that the most acute levels of perceived environmental risk are found in those countries where the level of technological prevalence is low but where there has recently been substantial technological development. Environmental awareness is a mediator of the relationship between risk perception and the indices of technological diffusion. This result means that: (1) societal normalization of risk is not a direct consequence of prevalence of the technology, but is driven by awareness of technological development and that (2) societal sensitivity to risk is associated with lower levels of environmental awareness.

School experience, relational justice and legitimation of institutional

This study analysis the relationship between perceptions of the justice of teacher’ behaviour and (a) the legitimation of school authority and (b) the legitimation of institutional authorities outside school. 448 adolescent students participated in the study. In questionnaire participants were asked about (a) perceptions of the justice of teachers’ behaviour; (b) evaluation of the school experience; and (c) evaluation of institutional authorities. Results show that the evaluation of the justice of teacher behaviour, in particular relational and procedural justice, have an impact on the legitimation of the authority of teachers and on the evaluation of institutional authorities outside school. Results also show that the legitimacy granted to teachers is a mediator variable between perceptions of justice in school and evaluation of authorities outside school. These results are discussed in the context of the studies on the relationship between school experience and adolescents attitudes towards authorities, and in the framework of the “Relational Model of Authority” and of the “Group Value Model”.RésuméCette recherche analyse les relations entre la perception de justice des comportements des professeurs, la légitimation de l’autorité scolaire et la légitimation des autorités institutionnels en dehors l’école. 448 lycéens ont participé dans cette étude. Les participants on répondu à un questionnaire portant sur (a) les perceptions de justice des comportements des professeurs, (b) l’évaluation de l’expérience scolaire, et (c) l’évaluation des autorités institutionnelles. Les résultats montrent que plus élevé est la perception de justice des comportements des professeurs, plus élevé est aussi la légitimité attribuée aux professeurs et la légitimité attribuée aux autorités en dehors de l’école. Les résultats montrent aussi que la légitimité attribuée aux professeurs est une variable médiatrice entre la perception de justice des comportements des professeurs et l’évaluation des autorités en dehors de l’école. Ces résultats sont discutés dans le cadre des recherches sur la formation des attitudes des adolescents relativement aux autorités institutionnelles et dans le cade du “Modèle de la Valeur du Groupe” (“Group Value Model”) et de “l’approche relationnelle de l’autorité”.

Relational Justice in Organizations: The Group-Value Model and Support for Change

This paper examines the psychological dynamics of the Group-Value Model for a behavioral orientation which has seldom been considered in the social justice literature: acceptance and support for change. A field study was conducted, with 176 participants members of an organization which was undergoing a change process. Participants were asked (a) to think of a specific relevant conflict situation with their supervisor; (b) to evaluate supervisors behavior in that situation, with respect to relational and distributive justice; (c) to state the justice aspects most valued in conflict situations with their supervisor. A test of the model was conducted through a mediation analysis. According to the Group-Value Model (GVM), respect experienced within the group and pride in the group were mediating variables between justice judgements and orientation toward acceptance and support for change in the organization. Interactional and procedural aspects (relational judgements) were the only ones to predict pride, respect, and behavioral orientation, and were also the ones most valued in general conflict situations with the supervisor. The model was also tested at three different levels of analysis: organization as a whole, department, and work group. This confirmed pride and respect within the group as mediating variables between relational justice judgements and orientation toward acceptance and support for change at the department and workgroup levels.

Sucesso social, branqueamento e racismo

Este estudo investiga os efeitos da cor da pele percebida e do sucesso social no branqueamento e na infra-humanizacao. Para a consecucao deste objetivo, individuos brancos deveriam avaliar um grupo de pessoas negras e um grupo de pessoas brancas (representados por fotografias), que obtinham sucesso social ou que eram mal sucedidos socialmente. O delineamento utilizado continha duas variaveis independentes inter-participantes (cor da pele: brancos versus negros) e desempenho social (sucesso versus fracasso). Os resultados indicaram que os negros que obtem sucesso social sao percebidos como mais brancos do que os negros que fracassam. Uma analise de mediacao indicou que quanto mais os negros com sucesso sao percebidos como brancos mais caracteristicas tipicamente humanas lhes sao atribuidas. O inverso se passa para os negros mais percebidos como negros. Estes resultados sao analisados e discutidos a luz das teorias sobre racismo no Brasil e sobre as novas expressoes de racismo.

Validation of polemical social representations: introducing the intergroup differentiation of heterogeneity:

Three studies explore the intergroup differentiation of heterogeneity as a strategy for validation of polemical social representations. The first study examines this strategy of validation in a context of simple intergroup differentiation. In the second study the context is one of open political conflict. The last study, also in a political context, introduces the perceptions of the relations between the groups as an independent variable. The first two studies show that the subjects adopted a strategy of validating the polemical representations of the ingroup and invalidating the representations of the outgroup consisting of perceiving the ingroup as psychologically diverse and the outgroup as psychologically more homogeneous, with values being perceived as equally homogeneous in the two groups (study 1) or homogeneous in the ingroup and diverse in the outgroup (study 2). In the third study results show that a salient perception of positive interdependence between the groups is accompanied by homogenization of the members of the ingroup who share the prototypical representations of the ingroup. When there is a salient perception of negative interdependence, the members of the ingroup and the outgroup who share the prototypical position of the ingroup are perceived as heterogeneous. Results are discussed in the context of social representations theory and social psychology of social validation of knowledge.

Mapping European social psychology: co-word analysis of the communications at the 10th General Meeting of the EAESP

This study aims to provide a picture of the present European research topics in Social Psychology, using the 339 papers presented at the 1993 General Meeting of the EAESP. The most frequent themes of research are analysed and the structure of the association of those themes are described in a two-factor structure. The first factor differentiates research in terms of level of analysis and the second factor contrasts types of applied research.

Intergroup Time Bias and Racialized Social Relations

Within the framework of intergroup relations, the authors analyzed the time people spent evaluating ingroup and outgroup members. They hypothesized that White participants take longer to evaluate White targets than Black targets. In four experiments, White participants were slower to form impressions of White than of Black people; that is, they showed an intergroup time bias (ITB). In Study 1 (N = 60), the ITB correlated with implicit prejudice and homogeneity. Study 2 (N = 60) showed that the ITB was independent of the type of trait in question (nonstereotypical vs. stereotypical). Study 3 (N = 100) demonstrated that ITB correlates with racism measured 3 months beforehand, is independent of motivation to control prejudice, and is not an epiphenomenon of homogeneity. In Study 4 (N = 40) participants not only showed the ITB in a racialized social context but also displayed it following a minimal group manipulation.