ABSTRACT
Intergroup bias is a pervasive phenomenon. It occurs within and across all cultures and across time (Sidanius & Pratto, 1999). Although cultural, historical, and political forces shape particular instantiations of intergroup relations and bias, in this chapter we focus primarily on general processes representing the psychological foundations of bias. Language, for example, is one basic identifier of group membership. It reveals whether people belong to the same or different groups and immediately assigns a person to a particular group, arousing relevant attitudes and stereotypes. In general, people are suspicious of (Lev-Ari & Keysar, 2010) and respond negatively to others who speak a different language (for a review, see Gluszek & Dovidio, 2010a), even when what is said is translated into their own language (Stephan & Stephan, 1986). Our emphasis, though, is not directly on the content or structure of language or verbal communication (see Chapter 8, this volume) but, rather, on the cues that often accompany these expressions, specifically on accents and nonverbal behavior.
