Criticism and praise in intergroup contexts: The role of linguistic abstraction.

Research on the intergroup sensitivity effect has shown that group criticism coming from an outgroup member provokes harsher reactions and higher defensiveness than criticism coming from ingroup members. To date, there is almost no evidence on people’s reactions to more positive intergroup communication, namely intergroup praise. Referring to the linguistic category model, the studies presented examined the reactions to intergroup criticism (Study 1) and intergroup praise (Study 2) formulated at different levels of abstraction. Study 1 showed that the intergroup sensitivity effect was provoked by outgroup criticism coded with abstract terms, which imply higher generalizability and stability of the information transmitted, but not by outgroup criticism formulated in more concrete terms. Study 2 revealed that outgroup praises were perceived as more motivated by 'hidden purposes' such as ingratiation when they were coded with abstract (vs. concrete) terms. Conversely, when the speaker was an ingroup member, concrete praises were seen with more suspicion than abstract praises. Overall, these studies adds to the literature on the intergroup sensitivity effect by revealing the moderating role of linguistic abstraction, and show for the first time the consequences of intergroup praises. Implications for effective intergroup communication will be discussed.