Effects of Identity, Uncertainty, and Language Contact on Intergroup Relations

<p>Despite sixty years of research examining both direct (Allport 1954; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006) and indirect forms of contact (Wright et al., 1997), less is known about the power of contact with an outgroup language to shape intergroup relations. To address this lacuna in the research, the two current studies examined two potential contextual factors that may impact whether outgroup language contact worsens or improves attitudes and action tendencies toward Latinos in the United States. Specifically, whether or not an outgroup is viewed as having status and power as a distinct group and whether this perception as a distinctive group induces uncertainty about one’s own group membership (Hogg, 2000, 2007, 2012a, 2012b; Stephan et al., 2002). When uncertainty is induced, people should strengthen their identification with their linguistic identities and worsen attitudes and action tendencies towards an outgroup (Stephan et al., 2002; Tausch et al., 2007). If individuals experience low levels of uncertainty, language contact should yield the beneficial outcomes associated with direct and indirect intergroup contact. Two studies examined these factors by measuring the target variables (Study One) and by manipulating language exposure and priming both uncertainty and ethnolinguistic vitality (Study Two) with Amazon Mechanical Turk samples. Study One ( N =198) suggests that language contact is associated with higher levels of prejudice when in the context of high uncertainty about one’s group membership and perceptions of the minority linguistic group’s status as a distinctive, cultural entity was also high. Greater levels of language contact was also associated with increases in prejudice in the context of low uncertainty and perceptions of the minority linguistic groups higher status. However, increases in language contact was only associated with more positive attitudes under lower levels of uncertainty and the minority group lacks status and power as a distinct group. Further, actual behavior toward the minority linguistic group seemed to be related more to the status and distinctiveness of the linguistic group. When the outgroup is perceived as a distinctive, high-status group, more negative action tendencies were found regardless of the level of group-level uncertainty. In the context of low group-level uncertainty with a linguistic outgroup that lacks distinctiveness and status, greater language contact was associated with more positive action tendencies. Against hypotheses, Study Two ( N = 217) found that when the minority language’s status and distinctiveness remained stable, feeling more certain about the fate of their own group lead to more negative attitudes toward Latinos after being exposed to the ingroup’s English language.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Psychology, PhD

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation

Year dc:date.available

2024

Author dc:creator

• Stopp, Heather Tamzyn

Contributors dc:contributor

• Michael A. Hogg
• William Crano
• Jason T. Siegel

• ethnolinguistic vitality
• intergroup contact
• uncertainty identity theory
• Social Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/802

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarship.claremont.edu:cgu_etd-1824