The Effects Of Intergroup Relations On Anticipated Emotions And Resource Allocation In A Multi-Ethnic Malaysian Sample

How individuals divide resources between themselves and another person is influenced both by their pro-sociality (social value orientation, or SVO) and the emotions they feel when dividing the resources (anticipated emotions). Research has also shown that individuals favor members of their own group (ingroup) over individuals from other groups (outgroup) when allocating resources. The Malaysian multi-ethnic population is an ideal context to study the effects of intergroup relations on anticipated emotions and resource allocation. The current studies recruited Malaysian participants to examine whether anticipated emotions and allocation behavior are influenced by the ethnic identity of the other person. Participants completed an SVO measure and rated how they would feel if they were to share resources equally or unequally. They then made allocations between themselves and an ingroup or outgroup member in an economic game. Results showed that there was no evidence of ingroup favoritism in anticipated emotions and allocation behavior. This may have been due to impression management, social desirability concerns, and/or the use of a population with socially liberal attitudes. The results nevertheless provided support for the notion that anticipated emotions play a role in resource allocation decisions.