The minority-groups homogeneity effect
Seeing members of different minority groups as more similar to each other than members of the majority
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10160253 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stephanie J Tepper (0000-0002-1069-6457, Cornell University, corresponding author), Thomas Gilovich (0000-0002-4452-3626, Cornell University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 129 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 888-909 |
| Publication date | 2024-10-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1037/pspi0000476 |
| PMID | 39404822 |
| OpenAlex | W4403428659 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
The widely documented "outgroup homogeneity effect" refers to people's tendency to view members of groups to which they do not belong (outgroups) as more similar to one another than members of their own groups (ingroups). Here, we present evidence for a novel but related phenomenon: People tend to view members of different minority groups as collectively more similar to one another than members of the majority group are to one another. Across nine studies (and four studies reported in the Supplemental Materials), we demonstrate a robust "minority-groups homogeneity effect" among participants from both majority groups (Studies 1-5) and minority groups (Studies 6-8), albeit less consistently among the latter. We provide experimental support for the role of beliefs in the common fate of minorities in driving this effect: When participants are led to believe that minority groups do not share a common fate, they no longer rate them as more similar than the majority (Study 9). These studies shed light on a broad pattern of social perception that may influence how members of different groups interact with one another and how they respond to cultural and demographic changes in society. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Developmental psychology · Homogeneity (statistics · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
The Interplay of Tourism, Religion, and Socioeconomic Differentiation in Multi-Religious Ethnic Communities
Perceived outgroup entitativity mediates stronger effects of intergroup contact for majority than minority status groups
Mapping American Attitudes Towards Refugees and Immigrants
Identifying Profiles of Colonial Ideologies
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |