Negative Affect and Political Sensitivity in Crossed Categorization: Self-Reports versus EMG

We experimentally examined the effects of negative integral affect on preferences among the

double in-group (ii), crossed (io and oi), and double out-group (oo) targets of the crossed

categorization paradigm. We used insults from members of politically sensitive vs. non-sensitive

out-group categories of a crossed target (Oi) to induce affect. Dependent measures included

self-reports and a psycho-physiological measure of affect (facial electromyography, EMG).

Under no insult, participants conformed to social desirability pressure and favorably evaluated

targets with a politically sensitive out-group membership, whereas facial EMG measures

indicated greater negativity toward those same targets. Negativity of self-report and facial EMG

measures converged, however, when members of a politically sensitive out-group category had

provided hostility-justifying insults.