Social Identity and Subgroup Social Dilemmas

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

Abstract

When each individual in a group benefits more by defecting than cooperating, the situation is a social dilemma. For example, giving blood is irrational in a purely economic sense because it is costly in terms of time, effort, and pain, and because people who do not donate are still permitted access to the blood supply in a time of need. It is often the case that the economically rational response to a social dilemma is defection, because no matter what others do, a defector ends up in a superior position, whereas contributors risk being taken advantage of or exploited. However, if most act this way, everybody is worse off than if most cooperate. Theoretically, the extent to which people identify with a group should lead to more cooperative responses to a social dilemma. However, research on this relationship has been equivocal. A recently developed multidimensional model of social identity will be applied to this controversy. In the first phase of this program of research (10 studies), a multidimensional scale of group identification will be developed and evaluated. Standard psychometric procedures will be followed to establish the validity and reliability of the scale across various types of real and contrived groups. In Phase 2, hypotheses regarding the relationship between the dimensions of social identity and cooperative responses to social dilemmas will be tested across three types of groups (large-scale, small-scale, contrived) using standard laboratory procedures. Hypotheses regarding how critical sociostructural variables (group size, group status, and group assignment) affect the different dimensions of social identity and cooperative responses to social dilemmas will also be tested. Although real life social dilemmas often involve subgroups, or people with varied social identities, little empirical research has directly examined these particular social situations. Therefore, in Phase 3, laboratory experiments will test hypotheses regarding how people respond to subgroup social dilemmas compared to interpersonal or superordinate social dilemmas, and the cognitive and emotional processes underlying such responses. The impact of resource inequality between the groups and attributions regarding the inequality will also be examined. Finally, in Phase 4, the ongoing interactions between individuals caught up in a social dilemma will be examined. Both intra- and inter-group interactions will be examined. Overall, this program of research is designed to integrate and be applicable to theories of social identity, social dilemmas, intergroup relations, and small group decision making. The broader goal is to further our scientific understanding of real situations that are increasingly prevalent in society: When people with diverse backgrounds make decisions that affect both the members of their own group and the members of other groups.