Post #4092333
2026-06-13 16:25 UTC
The remarkable thing is that you probably would.
This is a methodology developed by Henri Tafjel in the 1970s, and it came to be known as the "minimal groups paradigm."
What’s remarkable is how much the minimal groups paradigm pulls a fast one on our social categorizing. People assigned to arbitrary groups immediately form strong allegiances, even though they haven’t been given any other psychologically meaningful cues about their group
Replies (1)
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@grimalkina@mastodon.social 2026-06-13 16:27
The MGP has gone on to be studied in many permutations in psychology. Mere assignment to groups at all is enough to start in-group bias, and in-group bias shows up across a wide range of behaviors. We evaluate in-group intentions more charitably, attribute greater morality to our in-group, work harder to accomplish goals for our in-group, are more likely to cooperate with in-group members when it conflicts with our own personal needs, and expect greater reciprocity from our in-group.