Ethnocentrism and Causal Attribution in a South Indian Context

Hindu Ss were asked to attribute the behavior of in-group (Hindu) and out-group (Muslim) members performing socially desirable or undesirable acts in terms of internal and external causes for the behavior. Subjects made internal attributions of in-group members performing socially desirable acts and external attributions for undesirable acts. The converse was true for attributions made by the Hindu Ss with respect to the same behavior performed by Muslims. The results were discussed in terms of the importance of attribution theory principles for studying prejudice and the relationship between attitudes and behavior.