Is Social Categorization Spatially Organized in a "Mental Line"? Empirical Evidences for Spatial Bias in Intergroup Differentiation

Frontiers in Psychology
Fabio Presaghi, Marika Rullo

Abstract

Social categorization is the differentiation between the self and others and between one's own group and other groups and it is such a natural and spontaneous process that often we are not aware of it. The way in which the brain organizes social categorization remains an unresolved issue. We present three experiments investigating the hypothesis that social categories are mentally ordered from left to right on an ingroup-outgroup continuum when membership is salient. To substantiate our hypothesis, we consider empirical evidence from two areas of psychology: research on differences in processing of ingroups and outgroups and research on the effects of spatial biases on processing of quantitative information (e.g., time; numbers) which appears to be arranged from left to right on a small-large continuum, an effect known as the spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC). In Experiments 1 and 2 we tested the hypothesis that when membership of a social category is activated, people implicitly locate ingroup categories to the left of a mental line whereas outgroup categories are located on the far right of the same mental line. This spatial organization persists even when stimuli are presented on one of the two sides of...Continue Reading

References

Nov 1, 1969·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·J M Rabbie, M Horwitz
Jul 1, 1969·Journal of Experimental Psychology·J R Simon
Jul 31, 1998·Journal of Sleep Research·G Buzsáki
Mar 9, 2000·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·B LickelA N Uhles
Apr 17, 2001·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·L W Barsalou
Dec 26, 2001·Annual Review of Psychology·Miles HewstoneHazel Willis
Jun 17, 2003·Psychological Science·Anne Maass, Aurore Russo
Jun 4, 2004·Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior·Wim GeversWim Fias
Jan 14, 2005·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·M Rubin, M Hewstone
Oct 28, 2005·Nature·Robert Stickgold
Sep 28, 2006·Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance·Wim NotebaertWim Fias
Jan 27, 2007·Journal of Neuroscience Methods·Jonathan W Peirce
Nov 26, 2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Naomi EllemersColin Wayne Leach
Feb 10, 2009·Frontiers in Neuroinformatics·Jonathan W Peirce
Jul 1, 2009·Psychiatry Research·Nim TottenhamCharles Nelson
Nov 9, 2011·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·Kerry KawakamiJohn F Dovidio
Nov 14, 2013·Journal of Experimental Psychology. General·Anne MaassFaris Nadhmi
Apr 1, 2014·Behavior Research Methods·Joshua R de Leeuw

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Prolific
JATOS
jsPsych
PsychoPy

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.