Lichtgedanken 02

Editorial 53 02 | LICHT GEDANKEN team of psychologists from Jena has now been able to demonstrate for the first time by means of two independent studies, we remember such troublema- kers particularly well if they belong to our own social group. Acting fairly or selfishly For their study, the psychologists re- cruited a total of 130 participants and split them into two groups. Although each participant acted on their own be- half, it was clear to all those involved to which group they belonged. They were also able to clearly identify whether the other participants belonged to their own group or the other one as they wore either a blue or yellow T-shirt. In the first part of the experiment, participants shared 100 imagined monetary units with alledged group members. »In our culture we most often perceive an equal share as fair,« Dr Hechler ex- plains. »Especially as the test subjects were able to observe the decisions of other participants.« In the next phase of the experiment, the test subjects were asked if they could remember other participants, and if so, if they also remembered how they had behaved. What the participants did not suspect, however, was that the other persons were not participating in the study but merely acting out certain kinds of behaviour. They either shared their money fairly or only gave a small part of it – in other words, they clearly behaved unfairly. The result was clear. Players in the blue group mainly remembered tho- se in the blue group who only gave a small amount of money – and in the yellow group, it was the other way round. The test subjects remembered unfair behaviour by members of their Fair play or foul? Whether in a team sport or another walk of life: anyone behaving unfairly does rather more than simply create a negative impression. For members of their own social group, the troublemaker becomes a potential danger and is remembered as such. own group most often. However, the- re was no difference in the recognition of faces. The explanation given by the psychologists is that the participants in the study perceived themselves as part of the group (self-categorization). At the same time, participants evalua- ted their own group better than the outgroup. »If I share a group member- ship with a person, I suppose that they have certain characteristics and that they behave in a certain way that is conform with my image of the group,« says Hechler. We usually have a more positive image of ourselves and mem- bers of our own group than of mem- bers of similar groups which we are not a member of. The impact is all the greater if a member of our own group turns out to be a cheat. Because in soci- al groups, people perceive themselves as a community pursuing a common goal or at least the same situation. »We believe that the other members of the group are similar to ourselves. Because