Does minority group status predict stronger perceptions of criminality when evidence is ambiguous? A multi-national investigation of identity, threat and guilt perceptions
Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/13218719.2026.2676957
- Dergi Adı: Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Criminal Justice Abstracts, EMBASE, HeinOnline-Law Journal Library, Psycinfo, Criminal Justice Periodical Index, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Law Journal Library (HeinOnline)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: aversive racism, ethnic identity, intergroup threat theory, perceived criminality, religious identity, social identity theory
- Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Based on aversive racism theory, we examined if suspects from a minority group are perceived as more guilty when evidence is ambiguous. Three between-participants experiments were conducted in two intergroup contexts–Muslims as religious minorities in India and Syrian refugees as ethnic minorities in Turkey. We also tested if perceived realistic and symbolic threats moderated the relationship between suspect identity and perceptions of criminality. In Study 1, with Indian Hindu (N = 175) and Turkish (N = 169) participants, stronger evidence predicted higher perceptions of criminality. In Study 2, adding a weak evidence condition and controlling for severity of crime, Hindu (N = 432) participants reported higher guilt ratings for stronger evidence only. While no main effect of identity was found, higher symbolic threat led to increased suspicion and willingness to report the minority suspect. Findings highlight that sociopolitical realities and intergroup dynamics can influence legal decision making and related public perceptions.