Working with your enemy : out-group cooperation's effect on reducing bias

Abstract

Prior research has shown that in-group identification does not necessarily lead to out-group derogation or bias, and certain conditions are necessary to have one result in the other. One such instance is that of a shared perceived conflict or threat, whereby we reconceptualize our prior thinking of in/out-group dynamics according to what is needed in a conflict (e.g., prior out-group now becomes an in-group if forced to cooperate against a threat). The current study used a video game as a means to measure in/out group dynamics in cooperative and competitive gameplay, in order to examine potential effects of group dynamics on general helping attitudes, out-group bias, and perceived out-group altruism.