Perceived intergroup empathic failures: Prejudice perceptions predict perceptions of ingroup and outgroup empathic norms

Past research has documented reduced empathy for outgroups. Due to their role in shaping first-hand empathy, we examined perceptions of empathic norms in intergroup contexts and found that they are negatively biased, with people expecting more intergroup empathy bias from others than they themselves showed and overestimating the bias actual in-and outgroup members showed. Perceptions of empathic norms were predicted by same-direction perceptions of prejudice, but they were also sensitive to group identity relevance of the emotional experiences.