Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of perceived intergroup competition on majority adolescents’ behavioural intentions toward two relevant immigrant groups in the Spanish context, Ecuadorians and Moroccans. We proposed an integrative path model in which perceived intergroup competition led to perception of outgroup threat, which in turn affected warmth stereotypes (morality and sociability). Perceived warmth further fostered positive and negative emotions, which in turn predicted facilitative and harmful interpersonal behavioural tendencies. Following a between subject design, participants (N = 231, Mage = 15.39, SD = 1.09) evaluated Moroccans (n = 114) or Ecuadorians (n = 117) on the examined variables. Results indicate that Ecuadorians were perceived as more moral and sociable and elicited less negative emotions than Moroccans. The model had a good fit for both groups. Perceived intergroup competition predicted perceived outgroup threat which, in turn, fostered perceived morality and sociability. Only perceived morality predicted both positive and negative emotions, whereas sociability elicited only positive emotions. Finally, facilitation intentions were predicted by both positive and negative emotions, while harm intentions were triggered only by negative ones. Results highlight the distinctive role of morality for intergroup relations during adolescence and extend previous literature regarding perceived intergroup competition, stereotype content, emotions and perceived outgroup threat.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Notes
Throughout the manuscript both terms, perceived intergroup competition and intergroup competition will be used interchangeably as referring to perceived intergroup competition construct.
The results of the CFA analysis for the two dimensional model of outgroup threat had a bad fit in both groups: ET, S-Bχ2(64, 115) = 207.71, p < .01, RCFI = .79, RMSEA = .14 (.12, .16), SRMR = .09; MT, SBχ2(64, 113) = 155.38, p < .01, RCFI = .87, RMSEA = .11 (.09, .13), SRMR = .08. Given the high correlation between realistic and symbolic threat (see Table 1), both observed variables were allowed to load on this latent factor in order to account for the shared variance.
The LM test revealed that the equality constraint imposed for the path between intergroup competition and morality was significant (p < .05). This result indicates that this path parameter may have different magnitude for each sample. Thus, we performed a multiple sample analysis in which no equality constraints were imposed for this path. This model also generated good fit indices: S-Bχ2(54, 231) = 68.40, p > .05, RCFI = .97, RMSEA = .05 (.00, .08), SRMR = .08.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by FPU Program of Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (Grant number: FPU15/03555) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant number: PSI2011-22731).
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Constantin, A.A., Cuadrado, I. Perceived intergroup competition and adolescents’ behavioural intentions toward minorities: the role of threat, stereotypes and emotions. Curr Psychol 40, 3488–3498 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00297-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00297-8