Stronger group identification correlates near zero with ingroup bias

Evidence

In fact, the vast corpus of work demonstrating the near universal prevalence of ingroup bias in intergroup attitudes and behavior (Brewer & Brown, 1998; Hewstone, Rubin, & Willis, 2002) can be taken as support for the core proposition of Social Identity Theory that ingroup members are strongly motivated to seek some positive distinctiveness for their ingroups in relation to outgroups. Nevertheless, attempts to test another central hypothesis of Social Identity Theory – that these manifestations of ingroup bias should be correlated with strength or importance of group identification – have met with mixed success. One early review of studies investigating the identification–bias relationship concluded that the overall correlation was close to zero with considerable variation among studies (Hinkle & Brown, 1990). — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 441

In fact, the vast corpus of work demonstrating the near universal prevalence of ingroup bias in intergroup attitudes and behavior (Brewer & Brown, 1998; Hewstone, Rubin, & Willis, 2002) can be taken as support for the core proposition of Social Identity Theory that ingroup members are strongly motivated to seek some positive distinctiveness for their ingroups in relation to outgroups. Nevertheless, attempts to test another central hypothesis of Social Identity Theory – that these manifestations of ingroup bias should be correlated with strength or importance of group identification – have met with mixed success. One early review of studies investigating the identification–bias relationship concluded that the overall correlation was close to zero with considerable variation among studies (Hinkle & Brown, 1990). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 441

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Social Identity Theory literature (Tajfel & Turner) and to the broader question of when identity motives drive intergroup behavior — relevant to any work on tribalism, polarization, or group psychology in my knowledge base. — connects to: Both weak and strong group identifiers resist compensation but for opposite reasons — Torsten Masson and Markus Barth, The identification-guilt paradox…, 70; Escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not alter how identification modes predict group guilt — Sonia Roccas and Yechiel Klar and Ido Liviatan, The Paradox of Group-Based Guilt: Modes…, 80; Perspective-taking shifts perceived similarity only among low group identifiers — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 1098 (+3 more)
• QUESTION: A meta-finding that contradicts the intuitive core of Social Identity Theory — worth chasing why identification fails to predict bias across studies.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 441; John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 441