Processing information on the negative consequences of climate change can have unrelated side-effects such as increased outgroup derogation. Previous research suggests differing theoretical explanations for these “generalization” effects such as buffering existential anxiety. Across two pre-registered experiments (N = 1031; USA & UK), we examine whether ingroup identification and social dominance orientation (SDO) moderate the relationship between experimentally induced collective threats and subjective threat perceptions (i.e., climate change and intergroup threat), modern racism, and pro-environmental collective action support. In Study 1, SDO and ingroup identification were measured 2 years prior to our experiment as antecedents of threat perceptions. Our results suggest that informing individuals about negative consequences of climate change (e.g., wildfires, floods, resource scarcity, health etc.), leads to higher intergroup threat perceptions and modern racism. These generalization effects, in turn, are moderated by SDO but not by ingroup identification. In Study 2, we successfully replicate our findings, measuring SDO and ingroup identification directly after the threat manipulation. Moreover, we use a behavioral measure of pro-environmental collective action to assess more direct stimuli-responses. In Study 2, again, we show that SDO moderates the generalization effects. In contrast, ingroup identification showed only marginally significant moderation of the generalization effect and did not increase itself in response to experimental threat-cues. Notably, we also find that intergroup threat-cues generalize onto higher climate change threat perceptions. No effects on behavioral collective action support were found.

处理有关气候变化负面影响的信息可能会产生不相关的副作用，例如外群贬损增加。先前的研究表明，对这些“泛化”效应（例如缓冲存在焦虑）有不同的理论解释。在两个预先注册的实验（N  = 1031；美国和英国）中，我们检查了内群体认同和社会支配取向 (SDO) 是否能调节实验诱发的集体威胁与主观威胁感知（即气候变化和群体间威胁）之间的关系，现代种族主义和支持环境的集体行动。在研究 1 中，在我们的实验前 2 年测量了 SDO 和群内认同作为前提威胁认知。我们的结果表明，告知个人气候变化的负面后果（例如，野火、洪水、资源稀缺、健康等）会导致更高的群体间威胁感知和现代种族主义。反过来，这些泛化效应受到 SDO 的调节，但不受内群体认同的调节。在研究 2 中，我们成功地复制了我们的发现，在威胁操纵后直接测量了 SDO 和群体识别。此外，我们使用亲环境集体行动的行为测量来评估更直接的刺激反应。在研究 2 中，我们再次表明 SDO 缓和了泛化效应。相比之下，内群体认同仅显示泛化效应略微显着的缓和，并且不会随着实验威胁线索而增加。尤其，我们还发现，群体间威胁线索可以概括为更高的气候变化威胁感知。没有发现对行为集体行动支持的影响。