Abstract
Two studies investigate the effects of target group status on perceptions of the offensiveness of group-based slurs. Using real-world groups as targets, Study 1 showed that the perception that a group is of lower status in society is associated with the perceived offensiveness of insults targeting that group. Experimental methods in Study 2 showed that people perceive slurs against a low status group as especially offensive, a pattern that was mediated by the expectation that low-status targets would be emotionally reactive to the insult. The results suggest that cultural taboos emerge concerning insults against low-status groups that may be due in part to how those target groups are expected to respond emotionally to those insults.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 185-192 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Experimental Social Psychology |
Volume | 53 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2014 |
Keywords
- Group-based insults
- Group-based status
- Intergroup relations
- Prejudice
- Taboos
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science