Emotional infra-humanization in intergroup relations: The role of national identification in the attribution of primary and secondary emotions to Italians and Germans.

The moderating role of group identification on the infra-humanization of the out-group is investigated. Participants (N = 74), all Italian students, were asked to describe two national groups, Italians and Germans, by selecting from a list of characteristics those that were typical of each group. In the list, among other words, there were some primary and some secondary emotions. Research has shown that while the former are considered characteristic of both humans and animals, the latter are considered a proxy of infra-humanization (Leyens et al., 2000). The results showed that the participants level of identification moderated the attribution of secondary and primary emotions to the in-group and the out-group. The more the participants identified with their national group the more they differentiated the Italians from the Germans on the basis of secondary or typically human emotions. Conversely, the more they identified with the group the less they differentiate the Italians from the Germans on primary emotions that are considered common to humans and animals.