Despite the assumption that intergroup apologies should lead to forgiveness in the same way that interpersonal ones do, research suggests that this is not the case. We report two studies exploring the application of the Staircase Model of Intergroup Apologies (Wohl et al., 2011), in which an intergroup apology is embedded in a broader reconciliation process. Participants read accounts of an intergroup conflict (the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland) and subsequent efforts to achieve reconciliation, focusing on an official apology issued by the IRA. The content of this apology was varied such that the steps specified by the Staircase Model were presented either sequentially (Study 1) or in a manipulated order (Study 2). Both studies yielded results that were broadly supportive of the model. There were significant effects on measures of forgiveness, perceptions of the perpetrating group, and negative emotion (in particular disgust). The implications for enhancing the efficacy of intergroup apologies are discussed.

中文翻译：

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循序渐进：测试群际道歉的阶梯模型

尽管假设群体间道歉应该像人际间道歉那样导致宽恕，但研究表明情况并非如此。我们报告了两项探索应用群际道歉阶梯模型的研究（Wohl 等人，2011 年），其中群际道歉嵌入在更广泛的和解过程中。参与者阅读了关于群体间冲突（北爱尔兰的“麻烦”）以及随后为实现和解而做出的努力的叙述，重点是爱尔兰共和军发布的官方道歉。这个道歉的内容是多种多样的，因此楼梯模型指定的步骤要么按顺序显示（研究 1），要么以可操纵的顺序（研究 2）显示。两项研究都产生了广泛支持该模型的结果。对宽恕措施有显着影响，对肇事群体的看法，以及负面情绪（尤其是厌恶）。讨论了提高群体间道歉效力的影响。