Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of Group Membership On The Avoidance Of Negative Outcomes: Implications For Social And Consumer Decisions, Donnel A. Briley, Robert S. Wyer

Donnel A Briley

Calling consumers’ attention to their cultural identity can make them aware of their membership in a group and, therefore, can induce a group mind-set. This mindset, in turn, leads them to make decisions that minimize the risk of negative outcomes to both themselves and others. The effects of this mind-set generalize over both group and individual choice situations. These possibilities were confirmed in a series of six experiments. Results showed that making people feel part of an ad hoc group increased not only their use of equality as a basis for allocating resources to themselves and others, but also their …