Ultimate attribution error
Negative emotions may lead individuals to make harsher judgements of out-group members, further solidifying stereotypes and prejudiced beliefs.
[2] The concept and term originates in an article by Thomas F. Pettigrew in 1979 as an extension of the fundamental attribution error which was identified in 1958.
The specific categorisation originally proposed had only some empirical support for broader categories of motivational and cognitive attribution.
The grouping schema assumes that one will like and trust members of their in-group and dislike and hate are expected reactions to the out-group.
Research by Markus and Kitayama suggested that those in individualistic cultures with an independent view of the self are more likely to experience the ultimate attribution error.
[4] The study conducted by Markus and Kitayama consisted of American and Indian participants who listened to someone describe a motor vehicle accident.
Indian participants seemed to place emphasis on understanding the driver's social role in the situation was extremely import when making these attributions.
[4] When considering this, Fundamental attribution error may be more likely to occur in those with an independent sense of self as individualist cultures are less likely to focus on the context and relationships within a situation.
This reasoning suggests that the outgroup member's positive behavior is not rooted in their skill, ability, or hard work.
Similar to the exceptional case, the highly motivated explanation individuates the outgroup member and dissociates them from their group.
That is, an outgroup member's positive behavior is evidence of their response to external pressures of their interaction with ingroup other.
An outgroup member's positive outcome is not rooted in their effort or ability, but a result of external situational factors that are, at least in some part, influenced by others.
While Pettigrew and many others to follow would focus on race, this study offered clear evidence that similar mechanisms are at play among religious groups.
