Enterprise–consumer intergroup attributional bias

• Weijun Ma

  Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Psychological Crisis Intervention, Affiliated Mental Health Center, and School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University

• Rui Feng

  School of Management, Shanghai Business School

• Yating Zhang

  School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University

• Kyoko Yamashita

  School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University

• Jue Miao

  School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University

• Yuyin Du

  School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University

We examined whether customers’ attribution of positive and negative events was influenced by intergroup attributional bias toward enterprises and consumers. The participants (Ns = 180 in Study 1 and 54 in Study 2) read fictional case studies of positive and negative events occurring in relation to enterprises and consumers and then provided details of their attributions. The results supported the existence of both derogatory attributions toward enterprises and favorable attributions toward consumers. Thus, an intergroup attributional bias was generally observed. Furthermore, stereotypes about enterprises influenced the formation of derogatory attributions toward enterprises. A more significantly negative enterprise stereotype was associated with an increased likelihood of showing a derogatory attribution toward enterprises. Whether the event was positive or negative, participants’ perception was more inclined toward assigning egoistic motivational attributions to enterprises rather than to consumers. This study provides a new, integrative perspective to understand consumer attributions in relation to enterprise events.

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