Abstract

This study examines whether individuals' expectancies about ingroup and outgroup members' behaviour mediate the effects of group power (equal power vs. high power vs. low power) on intergroup discrimination in the allocation of penalties. First of all, findings showed an increase of discrimination in the asymmetrical power conditions. Moreover, both expectancies of reciprocity from the ingroup and expectancies of discrimination by the outgroup turned out to mediate the effects of power on discrimination. The implications for the debate between different theoretical approaches on the interpretation of intergroup discrimination will be discussed.