Reversing the Error: The Role of Causal Attributions in Inhibiting Prejudice

Foster, Stephen

Reversing the Error: The Role of Causal Attributions in Inhibiting Prejudice

dc.contributor.advisor	Carvallo, Mauricio
dc.contributor.author	Foster, Stephen
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Mayeux, Lara
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Mendoza, Jorge
dc.date.accessioned	2017-05-10T14:06:08Z
dc.date.available	2017-05-10T14:06:08Z
dc.date.issued	2017-05
dc.date.manuscript	2017-05-01
dc.description.abstract	There are a wide variety of explanations for why a person may hold prejudicial attitudes. For example, prior research suggests that those who hold more prejudicial views partake in the fundamental attribution error in regard to outgroup members, attributing certain outcomes to dispositional as opposed to situational factors. The current study was designed to explore one mechanism through which low-prejudice individuals are able to inhibit prejudicial thoughts. Utilizing a sample of 271 undergraduates, we hypothesized that low-prejudice participants (i.e., scored low in symbolic racism) would make more situational attributions in comparison to dispositional attributions in a racially-charged police aggression scenario. Results of the study suggest that low-prejudice participants reverse the fundamental attribution error and tend to take situational factors into account. Furthermore, this reversal predicts less support for the police’s use of physical force in this scenario. Implications for the inhibition of prejudice are discussed.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11244/50739
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	prejudice	en_US
dc.subject	inhibition	en_US
dc.subject	attributions	en_US
dc.subject	police aggression	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Master of Science	en_US
dc.title	Reversing the Error: The Role of Causal Attributions in Inhibiting Prejudice	en_US
ou.group	College of Arts and Sciences	en_US
shareok.orcid	0000-0002-6014-4415	en_US