Intergroup attributions and affective consequences in majority and minority groups.

Abstract

Three studies explored intergroup attributional bias. In Experiment 1, Muslims (majority) and Hindus (minority) in Bangladesh rated their explanations of in-group and out-group members' positive and negative acts on 4 causal dimensions: locus, stability, controllability by others, and globality. Both groups showed in-group-favoring attributions, but only Muslims were out-group derogating. Causal dimensions predicted affects primarily in in-group-outcome conditions. Experiment 2 showed that this bias for Muslims varied across crossed-categorization conditions. Causal dimensions predicted affect and self-esteem in certain conditions. Experiment 3 showed that this bias for Hindus was accentuated when social categorizations were made salient