When Novel Rituals Lead to Intergroup Bias

Nicholas M.  Hobson; Francesca  Gino; Michael I. Norton; Michael  Inzlicht

Article | Psychological Science | June 2017

When Novel Rituals Lead to Intergroup Bias: Evidence from Economic Games and Neurophysiology

by Nicholas M. Hobson, Francesca Gino, Michael I. Norton and Michael Inzlicht

Abstract

Long-established rituals in pre-existing cultural groups have been linked to the cultural evolution of large-scale group cooperation. Here we test the prediction that novel rituals—arbitrary hand and body gestures enacted in a stereotypical and repeated fashion—can impact intergroup bias in newly formed groups. In four studies, participants practiced novel rituals at home for one week (Experiments 1, 2, and 4) or once in the lab (pre-registered Experiment 3), and then were divided into minimal ingroups and outgroups in the laboratory. The findings offer mixed support for the hypothesis that novel rituals generate intergroup bias. Modest evidence from rituals repeated for one week, plus a null effect for one-time rituals suggest that novel rituals can inculcate bias, but only when they have certain features. It appears rituals need to be sufficiently elaborate and repeated over a period of time to impact group functioning. As a first step, we find modest support for the notion that novel rituals can promote ingroup cohesion, but at the expense of the outgroup.

Keywords: Groups and Teams; Behavior; Prejudice and Bias;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Hobson, Nicholas M., Francesca Gino, Michael I. Norton, and Michael Inzlicht. "When Novel Rituals Lead to Intergroup Bias: Evidence from Economic Games and Neurophysiology." Psychological Science 28, no. 6 (June 2017): 733–750.

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When Novel Rituals Lead to Intergroup Bias: Evidence from Economic Games and Neurophysiology

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