Three studies using pre-existing (Studies 1 and 3) and minimal (Study 2) groups tested the hypothesis that ingroup status shapes whether “conflict’” with an outgroup is strategically acknowledged or downplayed. As predicted, high (vs. low) ingroup status led group members to downplay conflict, but only to an outgroup rather than ingroup audience (Studies 1 and 2; Ns = 127 & 292), and only when the status difference was unstable (vs. stable) and the outgroup's action was perceived as illegitimate (Study 2). High-status group members also collectively communicated with the outgroup in a manner designed to defuse conflict (Study 2). Survey data of industrial (manager–worker) relations further indicated that company managers (high-status) characterized manager–worker relations as less conflictual than did workers (low-status) in the same companies (Study 3; N = 24,661). Findings imply that high-status groups play down conflict as a “benevolent” (but unacknowledged) means of maintaining intergroup status hierarchies.

中文翻译：

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冲突，什么冲突？证据表明淡化“冲突”可以成为高地位群体的首选武器

三项使用预先存在的（研究 1 和 3）和最小（研究 2）群体的研究检验了这样一个假设，即内群体状态决定了与外群体的“冲突”是否被战略性地承认或淡化。正如预测的那样，高（相对于低）内群体地位导致群体成员淡化冲突，但仅限于外群体而不是内群体受众（研究 1 和 2；Ns = 127 & 292），并且仅当地位差异不稳定（相对于稳定）并且外群体的行为被认为是非法的（研究 2）。高地位群体成员也以旨在化解冲突的方式与外群体集体交流（研究 2）。产业（经理-工人）关系的调查数据进一步表明，与同一公司的工人（低地位）相比，公司经理（高地位）认为经理-工人关系的冲突较少（研究 3；N =  24,661）。调查结果表明，地位高的群体将冲突淡化为维持群体间地位等级的“善意”（但未被承认）的手段。