The devil is in the details: Abstract versus concrete construals of multiculturalism differentially impact intergroup relations.

Publication Year
2014

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

Three experiments integrated several theories in psychology and sociology to identify the conditions under which multiculturalism has positive versus negative effects on majority group members' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward ethnic minorities. On the basis of social cognitive construal theories, we predicted and found that construing multiculturalism in abstract terms by highlighting its broad goals reduced White Americans' prejudice toward ethnic minorities relative to a control condition, whereas construing multiculturalism in concrete terms by highlighting specific ways in which its goals can be achieved increased White Americans' prejudice relative to the same control (Experiments 1 and 2). Using social identity threat research, we found that construing multiculturalism in abstract terms decreased the extent to which diversity was seen as threatening national identity, whereas construing it in concrete terms increased the extent to which diversity was seen as threatening national identity; threat in turn fueled prejudice (Experiments 2 and 3). Perceivers' political orientation moderated the effects of multiculturalism construals on prejudicial attitudes and social distancing behavioral intentions (Experiment 3). Symbolic threat to national identity but not realistic threat to national resources mediated these effects. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate when multiculturalism leads to positive versus negative intergroup outcomes, why, and how political orientation shapes prejudice and behavioral intentions toward ethnic minorities. © 2014 American Psychological Association.

Journal
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Volume
106
Pages
772–789
Type of Article
Journal Article
Full text

The following is an excerpt of the intervention methodology. For more information, please see the full text of the article on the publisher's website or through your institution's library.

Experiment 1

White American participants read about multiculturalism described in an abstract manner (its main goals were highlighted) or a concrete manner (the specific steps necessary to achieve those goals were highlighted), after which their attitudes toward an ethnic minority group (Hispanic Americans) were assessed. [...]

Method

Participants. One hundred and twenty-six White Americans (58 male and 68 female) participated in this experiment for extra course credit. All participants were undergraduate students between the ages 18 and 26 years (M = 20.05; SD = 1.33) from a large public university in the northeast of the U.S.

Manipulating construals of multiculturalism. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which they read about multiculturalism construed in an abstract manner, read about multiculturalism, construed in either an abstract manner or a concrete manner, or else read about something neutral and unrelated to multiculturalism (control condition). In the control condition, participants read a short essay on a subject that was about national interests but completely unrelated to intergroup relations [...]. Participants in the abstract and concrete construal of multiculturalism conditions read an essay focused on various aspects of the ideology. [...] the abstract construal of multiculturalism focused on why multiculturalism is important, while the concrete construal focused on how multiculturalism can be achieved. [...] After reading the essay, participants in the abstract construal condition were asked to generate five reasons why adopting multiculturalism would benefit American society, while participants in the concrete construal condition were asked to list five ways how multiculturalism could be achieved. Next, participants were either given a list of reasons why multiculturalism would benefit society (abstract condition) or a list about how multiculturalism can be achieved (concrete condition) allegedly written by previous participants in the study. Participants were asked to circle statements that were the same as statements on their own list. [...]

Attitudes toward Hispanic Americans. This was assessed with a scale developed by Plant, Butz, and Tartakovsky that included 27 statements to which participants indicated their agreement or disagreement on 7-point scales ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). [...]

Procedure. Participants [...] were then randomly assigned to one of three conditions where they received a short essay that described multiculturalism in an abstract manner (focusing on why its goals were important), that described multiculturalism in a concrete manner (focusing on how its goals can be achieved), or that described an American nature reserve (control condition). After this participants completed the thought-listing task about the essay described earlier. Then, under the guise of a second unrelated study, participants completed the scale assessing their attitudes toward Hispanic Americans. [...]

Experiment 2

Experiment 2 built on the previous results by identifying and testing one important psychological process predicted to exacerbate prejudice when a concrete framing of multiculturalism is encountered but to attenuate prejudice when an abstract framing of multiculturalism is encountered. [...]

Method

Participants. One hundred and twenty-seven White Americans (40 male and 87 female) participated in this experiment for extra course credit. All participants were undergraduate students between the ages 18 and 34 years (M = 19.93; SD = 2.63) from a large public university in the northeast part of the U.S.

Measures and manipulations. The measures and manipulations were identical to those used in Experiment 1, with one additional measure designed to assess the proposed mediator— perceived threat to national identity (see below).

Threat to national identity. Participants completed six items assessing the degree to which they felt that the United States was threatened by diverse ethnic groups’ values and practices; these items were adapted from previous research. Participants were asked to indicate their response on 7-point scales ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). [...]

Procedure. Participants were recruited under the guise of a study on “reading comprehension and social judgments.” They were first randomly assigned to one of three conditions in which they read either an essay on multiculturalism framed abstractly versus concretely or an essay on American nature reserves (control condition) before completing the thought listing task used in Experiment 1. Then, under the guise of a separate and unrelated task, participants completed measures assessing perceived threat to national identity followed by their attitudes toward Hispanic Americans.

Type of Prejudice/Bias
Country
Method