Sugaring the Pill: Assessing Rhetorical Strategies Designed to Minimize Defensive Reactions to Group Criticism
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| Title: | Sugaring the Pill: Assessing Rhetorical Strategies Designed to Minimize Defensive Reactions to Group Criticism |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Hornsey, Matthew J., Robson, Erin, Smith, Joanne, Esposo, Sarah, Sutton, Robbie M. |
| Source: | Human Communication Research. Jan 2008 34(1):70-98. |
| Availability: | Blackwell Publishing. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8599; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: customerservices@blackwellpublishing.com; Web site: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/jnl_default.asp |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 29 |
| Publication Date: | 2008 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Communication Strategies, Criticism, Groups, Responses, Defense Mechanisms, Positive Reinforcement, Interpersonal Communication, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | Australia |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2007.00314.x |
| ISSN: | 0360-3989 |
| Abstract: | People are considerably more defensive in the face of group criticism when the criticism comes from an out-group rather than an in-group member (the intergroup sensitivity effect). We tested three strategies that out-group critics can use to reduce this heightened defensiveness. In all studies, Australians received criticism of their country either from another Australian or from a foreigner. In Experiment 1, critics who attached praise to the criticism were liked more and agreed with more than were those who did not. In Experiment 2, out-group critics were liked more and aroused less negativity when they acknowledged that the problems they identified in the target group were shared also by their own in-group. In both experiments, the ameliorative effects of praise and acknowledgment were fully mediated by attributions of constructiveness. Experiment 3 tested the strategy of spotlighting; that is, of putting on the record that you intend your comments to apply to just a portion of the group rather than to the whole group. This strategy--which did not directly address the attributional issues that are presumed to underpin the intergroup sensitivity effect--proved ineffective. Practical and theoretical implications for intergroup communication are discussed. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 57 |
| Entry Date: | 2008 |
| Accession Number: | EJ808292 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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