In-group-out-group differences in social projection

Abstract

Most studies of Allport's notion of social projection have addressed in-group social projection (the perceived prevalence of one's own position within the in-group). The possibility of out-group social projection (the perceived prevalence of one's own position within the out-group) has been suggested, but the specific patterns of out-group social projection have never been established. This paper reports the results of three studies which directly examine social projection in an intergroup context. These results replicate the previously established false consensus effect for the in-group. However, this effect is reversed in the false uniqueness effect evidenced toward the out-group. The stronger differences between in-group projection and out-group projection in the second and third studies are attributed to their more potent manipulations of the intergroup context. Discussion considers the implications of these results for research on social projection phenomena and for intergroup behavior.