Deprovincialization: Its Importance for Plural Societies

Deprovincialization is a set of attitudes characterized by two sides: a nuanced and fresh perspective on the in-group culture and an open and accepting attitude toward other groups. After reviewing early research and indirect tests of the construct, we focused our attention on research investigating these two sides of deprovincialization. Studies conducted in various countries demonstrate that deprovincialization as in-group cultural nuance is a strong and reliable correlate of reduced prejudice and improved intergroup relations; moreover, it is distinct from both national identification and cultural relativism. Studies conducted in Italy show that deprovincialization as openness toward other groups is related to positive intergroup contact and intergroup harmony and has longitudinal negative effects on prejudice. Importantly, in both lines of research the beneficial role of deprovincialization goes beyond the effects of constructs such as social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, nationalism, and demographic variables. We conclude by proposing suggestions for future research and highlighting relevant issues to be considered in policy development and implementation

The nature of deprovincialism: Assessment, nomological network, and comparison of cultural and group deprovincialization

This study (N = 770) explores in depth the construct of deprovincialization by both uniting and comparing two scales that assess its two facets: the Group Deprovincialization Scale (GDS; Martinovic & Verkuyten, 2013) and the Cultural Deprovincialization Scale (CDS, Boin et al., 2020). First, we tested the factorial structure of the construct through confirmatory factor analyses. Second, we compared the mean scores of the GDS and the CDS and a list of variables related to individual dispositions and intergroup outcomes for participants who had (vs. had not) lived abroad. Then, we explored the nomological net of correlates of deprovincialization to examine whether the GDS and the CDS differed in their relationship with the correlates. Finally, we tested the simultaneous relationships of both scales with a subset of variables via network analysis. Results offer insights on the important construct of deprovincialization, its assessment, and the relevance of its facets, showing that the GDS and te CDS tap into related yet different nuances of the broad deprovincialization construct. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement

Angular and Current-Target Correlations in Deep Inelastic Scattering at HERA

Correlations between charged particles in deep inelastic ep scattering have been studied in the Breit frame with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 6.4 pb-1. Short-range correlations are analysed in terms of the angular separation between current-region particles within a cone centred around the virtual photon axis. Long-range correlations between the current and target regions have also been measured. The data support predictions for the scaling behaviour of the angular correlations at high Q2 and for anti-correlations between the current and target regions over a large range in Q2 and in the Bjorken scaling variable x. Analytic QCD calculations and Monte Carlo models correctly describe the trends of the data at high Q2, but show quantitative discrepancies. The data show differences between the correlations in deep inelastic scattering and e+e- annihilation.Comment: 26 pages including 10 figures (submitted to Eur. J. Phys. C

Processi psicosociali nei gruppi

Nei 4 capitoli, vengono descritte le basi cognitive della percezione sociale, le principali motivazioni dell'appartenenza di gruppo, le dinamiche intragruppo e le relazioni intergruppi

Contatto intergruppi ed effetti di trasferimento secondario: una questione di differenze individuali?

Lo studio del contatto intergruppi ha da sempre riguardato il tema della generalizzazione, dato che la sua efficacia \ue8 legata al fatto che il contatto con singoli individui conosciuti possa alterare le rappresentazioni dei gruppi sociali a cui tali individui appartengono. Recentemente, il tema della generalizzazione \ue8 stato ampliato, coinvolgendo l'estensione degli effetti del contatto nei confronti di un outgroup primario a gruppi non direttamente coinvolti nel contatto, detti outgroup secondari. Tale processo di generalizzazione \ue8 stato definito "effetto di trasferimento secondario" (STE; Pettigrew, 2009) e la sua presenza \ue8 stata verificata in diversi contesti sociali. Tuttavia, la sua efficacia pu\uf2 essere posta in discussione assumendo che la generalizzazione degli atteggiamenti da un gruppo coinvolto nel contatto a gruppi differenti sia semplicemente dovuta ad una propensione individuale all'apertura vs. chiusura nei confronti degli altri. I due studi presentati hanno lo scopo di verificare questa ipotesi alternativa. Lo studio 1 (N=150) indaga il contatto e il pregiudizio nei confronti degli immigrati in Italia e i loro effetti sugli atteggiamenti verso tossicodipendenti e persone con problemi di salute mentale. Controllando l'effetto di autoritarismo di destra, orientamento alla dominanza sociale, valori di apertura e chiusura e della dimensione individuale dell'amicalit\ue0, si verifica che lo STE \ue8 comunque in parte presente, anche se la sua forza appare minore. Lo studio 2 (N=150) replica tali risultati considerando gruppi differenti (omosessuali uomini e donne come outgroup primario, transessuali e persone anoressiche come outgroup secondari) e includendo tra le variabili individuali anche il fondamentalismo religioso e la desiderabilit\ue0 sociale. Nel complesso, i risultati dei due studi dimostrano che lo STE \ue8 un effetto parzialmente presente al di l\ue0 di differenze individuali legate ad una generale apertura vs. chiusura nei confronti degli altri

Perceived group variability and the salience of personal and social identity

In this chapter the relation between personal and social identity salience and perceived group variability is analysed. The hypothesis is proposed that the out-group homogeneity effect occurs mainly when personal identity is salient. The studies concerning perceived variability present in the literature are divided using three orthogonal criteria: (a) the level of individuation within the context; (b) the types of group, natural or non-natural; (c) the relative size of the groups. The review of the literature confirms the hypothesis proposed and allows us to consider ingroup and outgroup homogeneity effects as two distinct phenomena, rather than two faces of the same coin

The link between identification and in-group favouritism: Effects of threat to social identity and trust-related emotions

The relation between identification and in-group favouritism was analysed across two studies, in which the relevance of three intervening factors was demonstrated: (a) the moderating role of social identity threat, (b) the mediating role of trust-related emotions experienced towards in-group and out-group members, and (c) the importance of the distinction between in-group and out-group evaluations. When the in-group was not threatened, the link between identification and in-group bias was unreliable. The effect of in-group identification on in-group bias was stronger when either the value or the distinctiveness of the in-group were threatened. A value threat strengthened the influence of identification on in-group evaluation and, via out-group distrust, on out-group derogation. Under a distinctiveness threat, identification affected out-group evaluation and intergroup differentiation. These results demonstrate that the relation between identification and in-group favouritism is reliable only in a clear intergroup context. Moreover, they show that the role and the strength of in-group and out-group trust are altered by the type of social identity threat introduced. Finally, they clarify that in-group love and out-group hate phenomena are not zero-sum, and that their presence may be simultaneous when the value of the in-group is threatened by out-group members