<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The current study examined how the composition of intergroup contexts affects intergroup communication. We propose that when multiple outgroups exist, an extreme faction can make more moderate factions appear reasonable, creating pathways for influence. We also considered the role that an influence target’s fit with their ingroup (self-prototypicality) plays in responses to outgroup influence attempts. Specifically, we propose, and the current study showed, that both the composition of intergroup context and one’s relationship with their own group can create a pathway toward convergence of opinions and willingness to accept an outgroup’s opinion position. Two experiments (American partisans, <italic>N</italic> = 249), suggest that self-prototypicality in one’s political party positively predicts agreement with an opposing party’s message when the message appears in the presence of a more extreme outgroup than the moderate outgroup alone. This study stresses the importance of considering intragroup and intergroup comparative processes for intergroup communication research.</p>
</abstract>

The current study examined how the composition of intergroup contexts affects intergroup communication. We propose that when multiple outgroups exist, an extreme faction can make more moderate factions appear reasonable, creating pathways for influence. We also considered the role that an influence target’s fit with their ingroup (self-prototypicality) plays in responses to outgroup influence attempts. Specifically, we propose, and the current study showed, that both the composition of intergroup context and one’s relationship with their own group can create a pathway toward convergence of opinions and willingness to accept an outgroup’s opinion position. Two experiments (American partisans, N = 249), suggest that self-prototypicality in one’s political party positively predicts agreement with an opposing party’s message when the message appears in the presence of a more extreme outgroup than the moderate outgroup alone. This study stresses the importance of considering intragroup and intergroup comparative processes for intergroup communication research.

Contexts and conditions of outgroup influence

Psychology, California State Polytechnic University

Psychology, Claremont Graduate University

Psychology of Language and Communication

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Contexts and conditions of outgroup influence"}

The current study examined how the composition of intergroup contexts affects intergroup communication. We propose that when multiple outgroups exist, an...

Contexts and conditions of outgroup influence

Published Online: Mar 21, 2023

Page range: 173 - 198

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58734/plc-2023-0009

Keywords
influence, intergroup communication, self-categorization, social-categorization, self-prototypicality

© 2023 Amber M. Gaffney et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Contexts and conditions of outgroup influence

Published Online: Mar 21, 2023

Page range: 173 - 198

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58734/plc-2023-0009

Keywordsinfluence, intergroup communication, self-categorization, social-categorization, self-prototypicality

© 2023 Amber M. Gaffney et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
influence, intergroup communication, self-categorization, social-categorization, self-prototypicality