Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the relationship between attributions made for stereotype-relevant behaviours and stereotype-based beliefs. In Experiment 1 participants were presented with a scenario describing an individual from a target group performing a stereotype-consistent behaviour. After reading the scenario, participants completed attributional ratings for the behaviour and rated the target group on stereotype-relevant characteristics. In Experiment 2, participants read a scenario that described an individual performing either a stereotype-consistent or a stereotype-inconsistent behaviour. After reading the scenario, participants completed a sentence stem, which was subsequently coded for the presence of situational or dispositional attributions for the target behaviour. Participants also rated the target group on stereotype-based dimensions. In both experiments participants who made atypical attributions for the target behaviours (situational attributions for stereotype-consistent and dispositional attributions for -inconsistent behaviours) made less stereotype-based judgments of the target group than participants who made typical attributions (dispositional attributions for stereotype-consistent and situational attributions for -inconsistent behaviours). Results are discussed in terms of moderation of stereotypes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 13-17 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | The New Zealand Journal of Psychology |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2007 |
Keywords
- causal attribution
- information
- perceivers
- judgments
- inference