The self-protective and undermining effects of attributional ambiguity

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Volumn 43, Issue 6, 2007, Pages 884-893

  Hoyt, Crystal L ^a   Aguilar, Lauren ^b   Kaiser, Cheryl R ^c   Blascovich, Jim ^d   Lee, Kevin ^e  

^a UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND   (United States)

^b Columbia University ^*  (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON   (United States)

^d UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^e GOOGLE INC   (United States)

Author keywords

Attributional ambiguity; Attributions to discrimination; Discounting; Ethnicity; Leadership; Self protective; Stigma; Undermining; Virtual environment; Well being

Indexed keywords

EID: 34848907215     PISSN: 00221031     EISSN: 10960465     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2006.10.013     Document Type: Article

References (37)

1. Abramson L.Y., Seligman M.E.P., and Teasdale J.D. Learned helplessness in humans: critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 87 (1978) 32-48
2. Blascovich J., Loomis J., Beall A., Swinth K., Hoyt C., and Bailenson J. Immersive virtual environment technology as a research tool for social psychology. Psychological Inquiry 13 (2002) 103-125
3. Blascovich J., Mendes W.B., and Seery M. Intergroup encounters and threat: A multi-method approach. In: Mackie D., and Smith E. (Eds). From prejudice to intergroup emotions: Differentiated reactions to social groups (2002), Psychology Press, New York 89-110
4. Britt T.W., and Crandall C.S. Acceptance of feedback by the stigmatized and non-stigmatized: the mediating role of the motive of the evaluator. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations 3 (2000) 79-95
5. Carver C.S., Glass D.C., Snyder M.L., and Katz I. Favorable evaluations of stigmatized others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 3 (1977) 232-235
6. Crandall C.S., and Eshleman A. A Justification-Suppression Model of the expression and experience of prejudice. Psychological Bulletin 129 (2003) 414-446
7. Crocker J., and Major B. Social stigma and self-esteem: the self-protective properties of stigma. Psychological Review 96 (1989) 608-630
8. Crocker J., and Major B. The self-protective properties of stigma: evolution of a modern classic. Psychological Inquiry 14 (2003) 232-237
9. Crocker J., Major B., and Steele C. Social stigma. In: Gilbert D., Fiske S.T., and Lindzey G. (Eds). Handbook of social psychology. 4th ed. (1998), McGraw Hill, Boston
10. Crocker J., Voelkl K., Testa M., and Major B. Social stigma: the affective consequences of attributional ambiguity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 60 (1991) 218-228
11. Dion K.L. Women's reactions to discrimination from members of the same or opposite sex. Journal of Research in Personality 9 (1975) 294-306
12. Dion K.L., and Earn B.M. The phenomenology of being a target of prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32 (1975) 944-950
13. Harber K. Feedback to minorities: evidence of a positive bias. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74 (1998) 622-628
14. Hastorf A.H., Northcraft G.B., and Piccciotto S.R. Helping the handicapped: how realistic is the performance feedback received by the physically handicapped?. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 5 (1979) 373-376
15. Heatherton T.F., and Polivy J. Development and validation of a scale for measuring state self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 60 (1991) 895-910
16. Heilman M.E., and Alcott V.B. What I think you think of me: women's reactions to being viewed as beneficiaries of preferential selection. Journal of Applied Psychology 86 (2001) 536-544
17. Heilman M.E., Simon M.C., and Repper D.P. Intentionally favored, unintentionally harmed? Impact of sex-based preferential selection on self-perceptions and self-evaluations. Journal of Applied Psychology 72 (1987) 62-68
18. Hoyt C., Blascovich J., and Swinth K. Social inhibition in immersive virtual environments. Presence 12 (2003) 183-195
19. Jones E.E., Farina A., Hastorf A.H., Markus H., Miller D.T., and Scott R.A. Social stigma: The psychology of the marked relationship (1984), W.H. Freeman, New York
20. Kleck R.E., and Strenta A. Perceptions of the impact of negatively valued physical characteristics on social interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39 (1980) 861-873
21. Lubin B., Zuckerman M., and Woodward L. Bibliography for the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist (1985), Educational and Industrial Testing Service, San Diego, CA
22. MacFarland C., and Ross M. The impact of causal attributions on affective reactions to success and failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 43 (1982) 937-946
23. Major B., Feinstein J., and Crocker J. The attributional ambiguity of affirmative action. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 15 (1994) 113-141
24. Major B., Gramzow R.H., McCoy S.K., Levin S., Schmader T., and Sidanius J. Perceiving personal discrimination: the role of group status and legitimizing ideology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 82 (2002) 269-282
25. Major B., Kaiser C.R., and McCoy S.K. It's not my fault: when and why attributions to prejudice protect well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 29 (2003) 772-781
26. Major B., Quinton W.J., and McCoy S.K. Antecedents and consequences of attributions to discrimination: Theoretical and empirical advances. In: Zanna M.P. (Ed). Advances in experimental social psychology Vol. 34 (2002), Academic Press, San Diego 251-330
27. Major B., Quinton W.J., and Schmader T. Attributions to discrimination and self-esteem: impact of group identification and situational ambiguity. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 39 (2003) 220-231
28. McCoy S.K., and Major B. Group identification moderates emotional responses to perceived prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 29 (2003) 1005-1017
29. Mendoza-Denton R., Purdie V., Downey G., and Davis A. Sensitivity to status-based rejection: implications for African-American students' college experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 83 (2002) 896-918
30. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2006). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in simple and multiple mediator models. Manuscript submitted for publication. SPSS macro found at: .
31. Schmitt M.T., and Branscombe N.R. The causal loci of attributions to prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 28 (2002) 620-628
32. Schmitt M.T., Branscombe N.R., and Postmes T. Women's emotional responses to the pervasiveness of gender discrimination. European Journal of Social Psychology 33 (2003) 297-312
33. Schneider M.E., Major B., Luhtanen R., and Crocker J. Social stigma and the potential costs of assumptive help. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 22 (1996) 201-209
34. Shrout P.E., and Bolger N. Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: new procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods 7 4 (2002) 422-445
35. Stangor C., Swim J.K., Van Allen K.L., and Sechrist G.B. Reporting discrimination in public and private contexts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 82 (2002) 69-74
36. Taylor S.E., and Brown J.D. Illusion and well-being: a social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin 103 (1988) 193-210
37. Weiner B. An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological Review 92 (1985) 548-573