Dehumanizing the lowest of the low: Neuroimaging responses to extreme out-groups

Laypeople characterize prejudice broadly as general animosity toward another person or social group. Researchers themselves have traditionally viewed prejudice simply as dislike of an individual primarily because of his or her perceived membership in a social group. Evidence for this traditional view can be found in bipolar attitude scales (like-dislike) that measure prejudice (Ostrom, Bond, Krosnick, & Sedikides, 1994). Allport (1954), often considered the intellectual father of prejudice research, defined prejudice broadly as an antipathy based on a perceived social category. But Allport did not stop with prejudice as simple univalent antipathy. He also noted that each social category is saturated with affect. Allport contrasted then-current stereotypes of Black people as lazy and Jewish people as overly ambitious; both groups were mistrusted. Modern researchers interested in intergroup emotions have investigated Allport’s emotional flavors in more detail, introducing a range of emotions well beyond simple animosity (Mackie & Smith, 2002). Not all prejudices are equal; here, we present new social neuroscience data indicating that extreme forms of prejudice may deny their targets even full humanity.