High member interaction, shared attributes, and common goals increase perceived group entitativity.

Evidence

Lickel et al. found that several of the variables—interaction, importance, similarity, shared outcomes, and shared goals—were the primary predictors of entitativity. Moreover, consistent with Campbell’s observations, the groups varied widely in the extent to which they were perceived as having entitativity. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 217

One line of work has investigated the kinds of information on which people base their perceptions of group entitativity. These studies tested Campbell’s ideas about the properties of an aggregate that induce perceptions of groupness (Castano, Yzerbyt, & Bourguignon, 2003; Lickel et al., 2000). Confirming Campbell’s analysis in many respects, this research showed that groups are seen as more entitative, and people identify more with those groups, when there is high interaction among members; when the members share similar attributes, common goals, 30 • David L. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 215

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the literature on out-group homogeneity and Campbell’s earlier formulations of entitativity; the five predictor variables read like a compact definition. — connects to: Groups perceived as entitative reduce members’ self-concept uncertainty most effectively — Anna X. Huang, Jacqueline M. Chen, and Juliane Degner, Being One or the Other, Both or…, 85; Status hierarchies form naturally whenever groups pursue shared goals — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 57
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 217; Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 215