Studying general emotions misses whether intergroup-specific emotion acts differently

Evidence

The rediscovery of emotions in the field of prejudice and intergroup relations has involved contributions from numerous researchers and groups, operating from several theoretical perspectives. At least three general approaches can be conceptually distinguished. First, some researchers focused on the effects of “incidental” affect – affect arising from outside of the intergroup encounter itself – on stereotyping, prejudice, or related processes (e.g., Bodenhausen, 1993; Mackie, Queller, Stroessner, & Hamilton, 1996). Studies of incidental affect are important in demonstrating how general emotional processes influence thoughts, judgments, and behavior, including those in intergroup situations. However, these studies leave open the question of whether emotion in an intergroup context operates in the same way when it is caused specifically by that context (Bodenhausen, 1993). — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2257

Categorization

• QUESTION: Methodological gap worth chasing: does context-specific emotion function differently from incidental affect - and if so how would you design a study isolating that?