Creating the interindividual-intergroup discontinuity effect through Campbell's indices of entitativity

This study seeks to apply indices of entitativity taken from Campbell's ideas concerning the status of social aggregates (1958) to the interindividual-intergroup discontinuity effect. Common fate, similarity, and proximity were manipulated as participants play a prisoner's dilemma game. Entitativity was considered to be behaviorally evidenced when participants made higher proportions of competitive choices. Increased competition was found for both individuals interacting with groups and groups interacting with individuals in the presence of common fate consistent with the body of literature. A two-way interaction for groups interacting with individuals was found in which proximity accentuated the effect of common fate. Perceived entitativity was not found to significantly mediate any of these effects.