Prejudice and discrimination continue to be societal problems, resulting in various negative outcomes for targets. Confronting individuals who behave in a prejudicial or discriminatory manner has been shown to be an effective means of reducing future acts of prejudice or discrimination. Both members of the targeted group and individuals whose group is not targeted can be effective confronters. Despite the utility of this strategy, little research has identified predictors of confronting behavior. In Studies 1 and 2, participants observed a racist or sexist hiring decision and had two opportunities to confront the perpetrator. The effects of target-group membership, state negative affect, group identification, attitudes about prejudice, and confronting efficacy on confronting behaviors were investigated. Study 3 used the same research paradigm with the addition of a manipulation of the discrimination victim's level of identification. It was hypothesized that discrimination against a person who is highly identified with his race would elicit less confrontation than discrimination against a less identified person. Results and implications are discussed.
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