Universität zu Köln

Fini, Chiara, Verbeke, Pieter ORCID: 0000-0003-2919-1528, Sieber, Sophie, Moors, Agnes, Brass, Marcel and Genschow, Oliver ORCID: 0000-0001-6322-4392 (2020). The influence of threat on perceived spatial distance to out-group members. Psychol. Res.-Psychol. Forsch., 84 (3). S. 757 - 765. HEIDELBERG: SPRINGER HEIDELBERG. ISSN 1430-2772

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Abstract

A classic example of discriminatory behavior is keeping spatial distance from an out-group member. To explain this social behavior, the literature offers two alternative theoretical options that we label as the threat hypothesis and the shared-experience hypothesis. The former relies on studies showing that out-group members create a sense of alertness. Consequently, potentially threatening out-group members are represented as spatially close allowing the prevention of costly errors. The latter hypothesis suggests that the observation of out-group members reduces the sharing of somatosensory experiences and, thus, increases the perceived physical distance between oneself and others. In the present paper, we pitted the two hypotheses against each other. In Experiment 1, Caucasian participants expressed multiple implicit Near/Far spatial categorization judgments from a Black-African Avatar and a White-Caucasian Avatar located in a 3D environment. Results indicate that the Black-African Avatar was categorized as closer to oneself, as compared with the White-Caucasian Avatar, providing support for the threat hypothesis. In Experiment 2, we tested to which degree perceived threat contributes to this categorization bias by manipulating the avatar's perceived threat orthogonally to group membership. The results indicate that irrespective of group membership, threatening avatars were categorized as being closer to oneself as compared with no threatening avatars. This suggests that provided information about a person and not the mere group membership influences perceived distance to the person.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Fini, Chiara UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Verbeke, Pieter UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-2919-1528 UNSPECIFIED Sieber, Sophie UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Moors, Agnes UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Brass, Marcel UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Genschow, Oliver UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0001-6322-4392 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-339444
DOI:	10.1007/s00426-018-1091-7
Journal or Publication Title:	Psychol. Res.-Psychol. Forsch.
Volume:	84
Number:	3
Page Range:	S. 757 - 765
Date:	2020
Publisher:	SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
Place of Publication:	HEIDELBERG
ISSN:	1430-2772
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Human Sciences Faculty of Management, Economy and Social Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Human Sciences > Department Psychologie Center of Excellence C-SEB
Subjects:	Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language UNIVERSAL DIMENSIONS; IMPACT; SPACE; RACE; ATTENTION; GENDER; BIAS; TRANSPORTATION; INFORMATION; COGNITION Multiple languages Psychology, Experimental Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/33944