Seeing a member of a distinctive group perform an undesirable behavior can lead to the perception that the group has a "natural" tendency to perform that behavior. This perception is called
A) illusory correlation.
B) social role learning.
C) categorization.
D) one-trial stereotyping.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Illusory correlation is the tendency to overestimate the association between two variables that are only slightly or not at all correlated, due to the preexisting beliefs or expectations of the observer. In the case of seeing a member of a distinctive group perform an undesirable behavior, the observer may generalize that behavior to the entire group, even if it is not representative of the group as a whole. This can lead to the illusory correlation that the group has a "natural" tendency to perform that behavior.

Seeing a Member of a Distinctive Group Perform an Undesirable