Todd L. Pittinsky

Liking is not the opposite of disliking: the functional separability of positive and negative attitudes toward minority groups.

Two studies tested the hypotheses that positive and negative attitudes toward minority groups are not interchangeable in predicting positive versus negative behaviors toward those groups. In Study 1, positive attitudes about Latinos were a better predictor of a positive behavior toward Latinos than were negative attitudes or stereotyped positive attitudes. In Study 2, positive attitudes about African Americans were a better predictor of positive behavioral intentions toward that group than were negative attitudes, whereas negative attitudes were better predictors of negative behavioral intentions than were positive attitudes. Taken together, the studies support the perspective that positive and negative attitudes toward minority groups are theoretically and functionally distinct constructs. We conclude that it is important to measure both positive and negative attitudes to understand and predict behaviors toward minority groups.

When Increased Group Identification Leads to Outgroup Liking and Cooperation: The Role of Trust

ABSTRACT Two studies explored the influence of group identification and the functional relations between groups on outgroup liking. In a laboratory study, Study 1 (N = 112) found that outgroup liking was highest when group identification was high and relations between groups were cooperative, but outgroup liking was lowest when group identification was high and relations were competitive. In a field replication of Study 1, Study 2 (N = 181) similarly found more liking with high group identification and cooperative relations between groups. Additional analyses revealed that the Identification × Relations interactions found in Studies 1 and 2 were mediated by outgroup trust. We discuss how trust is an important factor for predicting outgroup bias for both high and low group identification.

America's crisis of faith in science

Fifty-three percent of Americans are not convinced that human activity is causing global warming ([ 1 ][1]). Why? The issue is faith, not facts. Shockingly few people can actually know—in any intelligent, meaningful way—that global warming is real. The rest of us do not have access to the huge

Individual variability in adherence to the norm of group interest predicts outgroup bias

The norm of group interest dictates that group members should consider the interests of their group. We propose that individual variability in adherence to this norm accounts for intergroup attitudes and behavior. Study 1 developed a measure for the norm of group interest, and found that adherence to the norm predicted evaluations of the outgroup independent of group identification and collective self-esteem. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated that the norm of group interest increased competitive behavior only when a competitive group norm was salient, but not when a cooperative norm was salient. These findings highlight the importance of both the norm of group interest and group norms to understanding attitudes and behavior in the intergroup context.

Chapter 6 How and When Leader Behavior Affects Intergroup Liking: Affect, Approval, and Allophilia

We report on research that investigated the emotional mediation of leader behavior on observers’ affinity for the members of a leaders group. Participants (N=181) read a vignette describing the positive, negative, or neutral behaviors of a national leader, and the approval or disapproval of that leaders followers for that behavior. Results revealed that liking (i.e., allophilia) for the leaders followers decreased when the group leader behaved negatively and group members expressed approval for their leader. These changes in allophilia were mediated by the amount of anger experienced by the participant. Implications of these findings for future work on leadership and intergroup relations are discussed.