Reminders of ingroup-perpetrated violence represent a psychological stressor that some people respond to defensively (e.g., justifying the violence), while others react non-defensively (e.g., accepting collective responsibility). To explain these divergent responses, we applied the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat to the context of intergroup conflict. Participants (N = 130) read about either an ingroup (American) or outgroup (Australian) soldier torturing an Iranian captive. We recorded cardiovascular responses while participants video-recorded introductions to an Iranian confederate who they believed they would meet. In the ingroup (but not the outgroup) condition, cardiovascular responses of challenge (relative to threat) were associated with less psychological defensiveness of ingroup-perpetrated violence and greater support for diplomacy towards its victims. Self-reported challenge/threat appraisals demonstrated no such relationships. These findings suggest that motivational states of challenge and threat can differentiate defensive and non-defensive responses, and that these motivational states may be better captured with physiological rather than self-report measures.

提醒团内犯下的暴力行为代表着一种心理压力，即有些人会做出防御性反应（例如，为暴力辩护），而另一些人则采取非防御性的反应（例如，承担集体责任）。为了解释这些不同的反应，我们将挑战和威胁的生物心理社会模型应用于群体间冲突的背景。参加人数 = 130）读到一个折磨伊朗俘虏的团内（美国）或团外（澳大利亚）士兵。我们记录了心血管反应，而参与者则通过视频记录了一个伊朗同盟的介绍，他们相信他们将会见面。在小组（而非小组）情况下，挑战的心血管反应（相对于威胁）与小组内暴力的心理防御能力较低以及对受害者的外交支持更多有关。自我报告的挑战/威胁评估表明没有这种关系。这些发现表明，挑战和威胁的动机状态可以区分防御和非防御反应，并且用生理方法而不是自我报告措施可以更好地捕捉这些动机状态。