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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 22, No. 7, 690-704 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167296227004
© 1996 Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Ability and Outcome Evaluations as a Function of Personal and Collective (Dis)Advantage: A Group Escape from Individual Bias

Heather J. Smith

University of California, Berkeley, hsmith{at}garnet.berkeley.edu

Russell Spears

University of Amsterdam

Just as reactions to resentment are related to whether people feel disadvantaged as single actors or as group representatives, viewing oneself as an individual actor or a group representative can influence evaluations of personal ability and outcomes in inequitable situations. An experimental study investigated the influence of individual versus group identity salience on evaluations of task ability and the attractiveness of rewards based on performance. It was predicted that when individual identity was made salient, participants' evaluations would reflect their likely personal outcomes in such a way as to rationalize their personal (dis) advantage. In contrast, it was predicted that the salience of group identity would release participants from this tendency to justify these disparities in personal terms. The results support this hypothesis and suggest the importance of group identity in protecting against the biased individual rationalization of personal outcomes, especially under conditions of collective disadvantage.


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