Motivated social categorization: Fundamental motives enhance people's sensitivity to basic social categories

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2012

Abstract

This article presents an evolutionary framework for identifying the characteristics people use to categorize members of their social world. Findings suggest that fundamental social motives lead people to implicitly categorize social targets based on whether those targets display goal-relevant phenotypic traits. A mate-search prime caused participants to categorize opposite-sex targets (but not same-sex targets) based on their level of physical attractiveness (Experiment 1). A mate-guarding prime interacted with relationship investment, causing participants to categorize same-sex targets (but not opposite-sex targets) based on their physical attractiveness (Experiment 2). A self-protection prime interacted with chronic beliefs about danger, increasing participants' tendency to categorize targets based on their racial group membership (Black or White; Experiment 3). This work demonstrates that people categorize others based on whether they display goalrelevant characteristics reflecting high levels of perceived desirability or threat. Social categorization is guided by fundamental evolved motives designed to enhance adaptive social outcomes. © 2012 American Psychological Association.

DOI

10.1037/a0028172

First Page

70

Last Page

83

Volume

103

Issue

1

Publication Title

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

ISSN

00223514

Comments

At the time of publication, Justin H. Moss was affiliated with Florida State University.

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