Abstract
I examined dehumanization as a function of aggression, moral identity salience, and outgroup identity. Dehumanization, the denial of human characteristics and capacities to other humans, is frequently associated with intergroup conflict and violence (Haslam, 2006); dehumanizing the victims of such violence can facilitate aggression by excluding them from moral regard. I investigated the converse: whether individuals who had aggressed against outgroup members would dehumanize them post facto to alleviate cognitive dissonance between their moral identity and their actions. Participants (n = 113) engaged in a spurious taste-preferences and impression formation task with a fictitious partner from the CSUS College of Business Administration. Interactions with partners (aggression and non-aggression), moral identity (moral identity salience and neutral identity), and outgroup identity (Republican and neutral) were manipulated in a 2x2x2 factorial design. Hypotheses were not supported, potentially due to participant suspicion; limitations, resolutions, and directions for future research are discussed.