Respect and political disagreement: Can intergroup respect reduce the biased evaluation of outgroup arguments?

Escape from fraught states in a coordination game

Through a behavioural coordination game played by groups of humans and simulated with agent-based models, we investigated a social network dilemma that we call fraughtness. Seven players, connected to one another in various topologies via a computer network, each had to move a slider to the left or right along a horizontal bar on their screen. The goal was for all the players to move their slider to the same side. Players received feedback indicating the degree to which they and their neighbours agreed about the choice of side. When the topology had a hierarchical branching structure, the groups often got stuck in fraughtness: players on one branch favoured one side, while players on the other branch favoured the other; because all were receiving supportive local feedback, nobody wanted to change. Nevertheless, after being stuck in fraughtness for some time, most groups managed to escape it. Fraughtness is arguably an analog of generally negatively viewed social phenomena like polarization and echo chambers. Our analyses suggest that while fraughtness is problematic, it is closely linked to successful structure formation-it thus may be most effective to focus not on how to banish it, but on how to resolve it.

Perceived respect from the adversary group can improve intergroup attitudes in a context of intractable conflict

Respect has been found to play a crucial role in human relationships including intergroup relations. Its presence has a significant positive influence in shaping the character of all relationship interactions. In intractable violent conflicts, there is almost no space for gestures of respect between adversarial parties, and the prevailing phenomenon is a mutual disrespect that fuels the conflict. This study examines a novel and challenging intervention that aims to induce in laboratory experiments, for the first time, perceptions of respect from adversary group members in the context of intractable intergroup conflict. In addition, this research examines the effect of perceived respect from the adversary on attitudes and perceptions towards the adversary group and the conflict. In three experimental studies (N = 1261) in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we manipulated expressions of respect from the Palestinian adversary group members and presented them to Jewish Israelis. Results revealed that, a group involved in a prolonged violent conflict may perceive respect from its adversary outgroup, and the perceived respect from the adversary in turn predicts improvement in attitudes and perceptions towards the adversary group and the conflict. These findings underline the important role of respect in intergroup conflict and its role in mitigating the conflict.

Does Respect Foster Tolerance? (Re)analyzing and Synthesizing Data From a Large Research Project Using Meta-Analytic Techniques

Our own prior research has demonstrated that respect for disapproved others predicts and might foster tolerance toward them. This means that without giving up their disapproval of others' way of life, people can tolerate others when they respect them as equals (outgroup respect-tolerance hypothesis). Still, there was considerable variation in the study features. Moreover, the studies are part of a larger research project that affords many additional tests of our hypothesis. To achieve integration along with a more robust understanding of the relation between respect and tolerance, we (re)analyzed all existing data from this project, and we synthesized the results with the help of meta-analytic techniques. The average standardized regression coefficient, which describes the relationship between respect and tolerance, was 0.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.16, 0.34]). In addition to this overall confirmation of our hypothesis, the size of this coefficient varied with a number of variables. It was larger for numerical majorities than for minorities, smaller for high-status than for low-status groups, and larger for religious than for life-style groups. These findings should inspire further theory development and spur growth in the social-psychological literature on tolerance.

A new perspective on intergroup conflict: The social psychology of politicized struggles for recognition

The article offers a new perspective on intergroup conflict. While building on social psychological foundations laid down in self-categorization theory, it is also critically informed by and incorporates insights from the neighboring disciplines of social, political, and moral philosophy. The new perspective is organized around the principal working hypothesis that many intergroup conflicts, especially those in modern, culturally diverse societies, can be fruitfully understood as politicized struggles for recognition. In addition, four more specific corollary hypotheses are proposed concerning polarization, respected collective identity, embedded dual identity, and tolerance. The new perspective shifts researchers’ attention to the multi-level nature of intergroup conflict and to the novel concepts of recognition and identity as a different equal.