The present experiment investigated factors which enhance the salience of group membership and consequent ingroup bias. Subject dyads, who were always white, interacted either competitively or interdependently with either white or black confederate dyads. Ingroup bias was assessed as a function of attraction toward the outgroup (experimental confederates) relative to the ingroup (naive subjects). The greater the difference between ingroup and outgroup attraction, the greater the ingroup bias. Results demonstrated that ingroup bias was greater when groups were competitive than when they were interdependent, and greater when the outgroup was black than when the outgroup was white. Further, the greatest ingroup bias resulted when a white ingroup was competitive with a black outgroup. These findings were discussed in terms of social identity/social comparison theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979) and the etiology of social competition (Turner, 1975). (Author)