Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences - Research Publications

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Author: Bastian, Brock × Author: Haslam, Nicholas × Author: Koval, Peter × End date: 2022 × Type: Journal Article ×

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    Blaming, praising, and protecting our humanity: The implications of everyday dehumanization for judgments of moral status
    Bastian, B ; Laham, SM ; Wilson, S ; Haslam, N ; Koval, P (WILEY, 2011-09)
    Being human implies a particular moral status: having moral value, agency, and responsibility. However, people are not seen as equally human. Across two studies, we examine the consequences that subtle variations in the perceived humanness of actors or groups have for their perceived moral status. Drawing on Haslam's two-dimensional model of humanness and focusing on three ways people may be considered to have moral status - moral patiency (value), agency, or responsibility - we demonstrate that subtly denying humanness to others has implications for whether they are blamed, praised, or considered worthy of moral concern and rehabilitation. Moreover, we show that distinct human characteristics are linked to specific judgments of moral status. This work demonstrates that everyday judgments of moral status are influenced by perceptions of humanness.
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    Our Flaws Are More Human Than Yours: Ingroup Bias in Humanizing Negative Characteristics
    Koval, P ; Laham, SM ; Haslam, N ; Bastian, B ; Whelan, JA (SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC, 2012-03)
    Four studies investigated whether people tend to see ingroup flaws as part of human nature (HN) to a greater degree than outgroup flaws. In Study 1, people preferentially ascribed high HN flaws to their ingroup relative to two outgroups. Study 2 demonstrated that flaws were rated higher on HN when attributed to the ingroup than when attributed to an outgroup, and no such difference occurred for positive traits. Study 3 replicated this humanizing ingroup flaws (HIF) effect and showed that it was (a) independent of desirability and (b) specific to the HN sense of humanness. Study 4 replicated the results of Study 3 and demonstrated that the HIF effect is amplified under ingroup identity threat. Together, these findings show that people humanize ingroup flaws and preferentially ascribe high HN flaws to the ingroup. These ingroup humanizing biases may serve a group-protective function by mitigating ingroup flaws as "only human."