Attributions and stereotype moderation

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.