Ricerc@Sapienza

This study tested whether intergroup threat enhances prejudice and discrimination toward the highly discriminated out-group of Roma. An implicit measure of linguistic discrimination, namely language abstraction of terms used in Roma descriptions, and an explicit measure of affective prejudice, that is, feelings thermometer, were employed. The relation between implicit and explicit discrimination was also analyzed. Threat enhanced linguistic derogation and affective prejudice toward Roma. Linguistic abstraction mediated threat’s effect on affective prejudice.

Two studies investigated outgroup-to-outgroup generalization, addressing whether members of negatively perceived minority outgroups are perceived as prototypical of larger partially-inclusive outgroups and whether this tendency is enhanced under intergroup threat. Both experimental studies were conducted with Italian undergraduate participants. Experiment 1 (N = 186) tested whether Roma are generalized onto (i.e., perceived as prototypical of) Romanians to a higher extent under intergroup realistic and symbolic threat than under no-threat.