Ingroup Allocation Bias

People have the tendency to favor members of their own group over members of other groups, This phenomenon, known as ingroup favoritism, surfaces not only in more positive evaluation of ingroup than ougroup members (i.e., ethnocentrism), but also in the allocation of more resources to ingroup than outgroup members, known as ingroup allocation bias. Given competition for critical resources such as jobs, promotions, and housing, ingroup favoritism can have a profound real and psychological impact; especially on members of groups that are based on imposed ascriptions such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, and language. It is precisely because discrimination is a pervasive phenomenon in most societies that social scientists have devoted so much effort to understanding its mechanisms and finding ways of reducing its prevalence. ...