Researchers Darley and Gross (1983) showed different groups of people identical videotape footage of "Hannah," a girl who was said to come either from an impoverished background or from a wealthy background. They found that people stereotyped the girl as intellectually inferior when they were led to believe that she came from an impoverished background. However, this stereotype emerged only when participants saw footage of Hannah performing ambiguously on an oral exam. This finding is best explained by the concept of ____.
A) stigma by association
B) the confirmation bias
C) the fundamental attribution error
D) scapegoat theory

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The confirmation bias explains how people tend to favor information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or stereotypes. In this study, participants interpreted Hannah's ambiguous performance in a way that confirmed their stereotype about her socioeconomic background.

Researchers Darley and Gross (1983) Showed Different Groups of People