This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Louis, W. R. Articles by Douglas, R. L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Normative Influence and Rational Conflict Decisions: Group Norms and Cost-Benefit Analyses for Intergroup Behavior

University of Queensland, wlouis{at}ego.psych.mcgill.ca

Donald M. Taylor

McGill University

Rebecca L. Douglas

Dalhousie University

The present paper articulates a model in which ingroup and outgroup norms inform ‘rational’ decision-making (cost-benefit analysis) for conflict behaviors. Norms influence perceptions of the consequences of the behavior, and individuals may thus strategically conform to or violate norms in order to acquire benefits and avoid costs. Two studies demonstrate these processes in the context of conflict in Québec. In the first study, Anglophones’ perceptions of Francophone and Anglophone norms for pro-English behaviors predicted evaluations of the benefits and costs of the behaviors, and these cost-benefit evaluations in turn mediated the norm-intention links for both group norms. In the second study, a manipulated focus on supportive versus hostile ingroup and outgroup norms also predicted cost-benefit evaluations, which mediated the norm-intention relationships. The studies support a model of strategic conflict choices in which group norms inform, rather than suppress, rational expectancy-value processes. Implications for theories of decision-making and normative influence are discussed.

Key Words: cost-benefit analyses • expectancy-value processes • group processes • intergroup conflict • norms • rational choice

References

• Abrams, D. (1994). Social self-regulation . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 473-483 .[Abstract]
• Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. London: Sage .
• Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior . Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211 .[CrossRef][ISI]
• Asch, S. E. (1956). Studies of independence and conformity: A minority of one against a unanimous majority . Psychological Monographs, 70, 1-70 .
• Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182 .[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Blanz, M., Mummendey, A., & Otten, S. (1995). Perceptions of relative group size and group status: Effects on intergroup discrimination in negative evaluations . European Journal of Social Psychology, 25, 231-247 .
• Brehm, J. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. New York: Academic Press .
• Burstein, P., & Freudenberg, W. (1978). Changing public policy . American Journal of Sociology, 84, 99-122 .[CrossRef]
• Cairns, E., & Darby, J. (1998). The conflict in orthern Ireland . American Psychologist, 53(7), 754-760 .[CrossRef]
• Chen, E. S., & Tyler, T. R. (2001). Cloaking power; Legitimizing myths and the psychology of the advantaged. In A. Y. Lee-Chai & J. A. Bargh (Eds.), The use and abuse of power: Multiple perspectives on the causes of corruption (pp. 241-261). Philadelphia: Psychology Press .
• Chevrier, M. (1997). Laws and language in Québec; The principles and means of Québec’s language policy. Ministère des Relations internationals. Downloaded from http://www.mri.gouv.qc.ca/la_bibliotheque/langue/loi-langue_an.html January 9, 2003.
• Dalton, R. J. (1988). Citizen politics in western democracies. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House .
• De Ridder, R., & Tripathi, R. C. (Eds.). (1992). Norm violation and intergroup relations. New York: Clarendon Press .
• Dion, K. L. (1979). Intergroup conflict and intragroup cohesiveness. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 211-224). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole .
• Dion, K. L. (1986). Responses to perceived discrimination and relative deprivation. In J. M. Olson, C. P. Herman, & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), Relative deprivation and social comparison: The Ontario symposium (Vol. 4, pp. 159-179). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .
• Drury, J., & Reicher, S. (2000). Collective action and psychological change: The emergence of new social identities . British Journal of Social Psychology, 39, 579-604 .
• Falomir, J. M., Mugny, G., & Pérez, J. A. (2000). Social influence and identity conflict. In D. J. Terry & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Attitudes, behavior, and social context: The role of norms and group membership (pp. 313-337). London: Erlbaum .
• Feather, N. T. (Ed.). (1982) Expectations and actions: Expectancy-value models in psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .
• Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley .
• Gaertner, L., & Insko, C. A. (2000). Intergroup discrimination in the minimal group paradigm: Categorization, reciprocation, or fear? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 77-94 .[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Gaertner, S. L., Dovidio, J. F., Anastasio, P. A., Bachman, B. A., & Rust, M. C. (1993). The common ingroup identity model: Recategorization and the reduction of intergroup bias. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European review of social psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 1-26). New York: Wiley .
• Gecas, V. (2000). Value identities, self-motives, and social movements. In S. Stryker, T. J. Owens, & R. W. White (Eds.), Self, identity, and social movements (pp. 93-109). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press .
• Gorsuch, R. L., & Ortberg, J. (1983). Moral obligations and attitudes: Their relation to behavioral intentions . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 1025-1028 .[CrossRef][ISI]
• Gurr, T. R. (1970). Why men rebel. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press .
• Hu, L.-T., & Bentler, P. M. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 76-99). London: Sage .
• Hunter, J. A., Stringer, M., & Watson, R. P. (1991). Intergroup violence and intergroup attributions . British Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 261-266 .
• Kaplan, H. P., & Liu, X. (2000). Social movements as collective coping with spoiled personal identities: Intimations from a panel study of changes in the life course between adolescence and adulthood. In S. Stryker, T. J. Owens, & R. W. White (Eds.), Self, identity, and social movements (pp. 215-238). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press .
• Kelly, C. (1993). Group identification, intergroup perceptions and collective action. In W. Stroebe & M. Hewstone (Eds.), European review of social psychology (Vol. 4, pp. 59-83). New York: Wiley .
• Klandermans, B. (1984). Mobilization and participation: Social-psychological expansions of resource mobilization theory . American Sociological Review, 49, 583-600 .[CrossRef]
• Lemaine, G. (1974). Social differentiation and social originality . European Journal of Social Pyschology, 4, 17-52 .
• Linteau, P.-A., Durocher, R., Robert, J.-C., & Ricard, F. (1991). Quebec since 1930 (R. Chodos & E. Garmaise, Trans.). Toronto, ON: Lorimer . (Original work published 1986)
• Liska, A. (1984). A critical examination of the causal structure of the Fishbein and Ajzen attitude-behavior model . Social Psychology Quarterly, 47, 61-74 .[CrossRef]
• Louis, W. R., & Taylor, D. M. (2002). Understanding the September 11th terrorist attack on America: The role of intergroup theories of normative influence . Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 2(1), 87-100 .
• Louis, W. R., Taylor, D. M., & Neil, T. (2005). Cost-benefit analyses for your group and yourself: The rationality of decision-making in conflict . International Journal of Conflict Management, 15(2), 110-143 .
• Mackie, D. M., Gastardo-Conaco, M. C., & Skelly, J. J. (1992). Knowledge of the advocated position and the processing of in-group and out-group persuasive messages . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 145-151 .[Abstract]
• Mackie, D. M., & Queller, S. (2000). The impact of group membership on persuasion: Revisiting ‘Who says what to whom with what effect?’ In D. J. Terry & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Attitudes, behavior, and social context: The role of norms and group membership (pp. 135-155). London: Erlbaum .
• Maclure, J. (2000). Le projet nationaliste en transition: la fin des vaches sacrées? [Nationalism in transition: The end of sacred cows?]. In R. Côté (Ed.), Québec 2001: Annuaire politique, social, économique et culturel (pp. 91-96). Québec: Fides .
• Milgram, S. (1974). Obedience to authority: An experimental view. New York: Harper & Row .
• Miller, D. T., & Prentice, D. A. (1994). Collective errors and errors about the collective . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 541-550 .[Abstract]
• Miniard, P. W., & Cohen, J. B. (1981). An examination of the Fishbein behavioral intentions model’s concept and measures . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 17, 309-329 .
• Moscovici, S. (1985). Social influence and conformity. In G. Lindzey & E Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., pp. 347-412). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .
• Nail, P. R., MacDonald, G., & Levy, D. A. (2000). Proposal of a four-dimensional model of social response . Psychological Bulletin, 126, 454-470 .[CrossRef][ISI][Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
• Ng, S.-H. (1982). Power and appeasement in intergroup discrimination . Australian Journal of Psychology, 34, 37-44 .
• Olson, M. (1968). The logic of collective action. New York: Schocken .
• O’Malley, M., & Bowman, J. (2001). Language in Quebec. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Downloaded from http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/language/ January 9, 2003.
• Osgood, C. E. (1962). An alternative to war or surrender. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press .
• Piven, F., & Cloward, R. (1977). Poor people’s movements. New York: Pantheon .
• Porter, L. A. (1995). Managing intergroup conflict in interpersonal relationships: How women maintain intimate relationships with men. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada.
• Reicher, S. D. (1984). Social influence in the crowd: Attitudinal and behavioral effects of deindividuation in conditions of high and low group salience . British Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 341-350 .
• Reicher, S., & Levine, M. (1994). Deindividuation, power relations between groups and the expression of social identity: The effects of visibility to the outgroup . British Journal of Social Psychology, 33, 145-163 .[ISI]
• Rokeach, M. (1960). The open and closed mind: Investigations into the nature of belief systems and personality systems. New York: Basic Books .
• Rouhana, N. N., & Bar-Tal, D. (1998). Psychological dynamics of intractable ethnonational conflicts: The Israeli-Palestinian case . American Psychologist, 53, 761-770 .[CrossRef]
• Sherif, M. (1936). The psychology of social norms. New York: Octagon .
• Sherif, M. (1966). Group conflict and co-operation: Their social psychology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul .
• Simon, B., Loewy, M., Sturmer, S., Weber, U., Freytag, P., Habig, C.et al. (1998). Collective identification and social movement participation . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74: 646-658 .[CrossRef]
• Staub, E. (2001). Genocide and prevention: Their roots and prevention. In D. J. Christie, R. V. Wagner, & D. D. N. Winter (Eds.), Peace, conflict, and violence (pp. 76-86). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall .
• Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole .
• Terry, D. J., & Hogg, M. A. (1996). Group norms and the attitude-behavior relationship: A role for group identification . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 776-793 .[Abstract]
• Tilly, C. (1975). The rebellious century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press .
• Trafimow, D. (2000). A theory of attitudes, subjective norms, and private versus collective self-concepts. In D. J. Terry & M. A. Hogg (Eds.), Attitudes, behavior, and social context: The role of norms and group membership (pp. 47-65). London: Erlbaum .
• Turner, J. C., Wetherell, M. S., & Hogg, M. A. (1989). Referent informational influence and group polarization . British Journal of Social Psychology, 28, 135-147 .
• Vallerand, R. J., Deshaies, P., Cuerrier, J.-P., Pelletier, L. G., & Mongeau, C. (1992). Ajzen and Fishbein’s theory of reasoned action as applied to moral behavior: A confirmatory analysis . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 98-109 .[CrossRef]
• Wright, S. C., Taylor, D. M., & Moghaddam, F. M. (1990). Responding to membership in a disadvantaged group: From acceptance to collective protest . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 994-1003 .[CrossRef]

CiteULike

Connotea

Del.icio.us

Digg

Reddit

Technorati

This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Louis, W. R. Articles by Douglas, R. L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?