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MENTAL MODEL · M6345

Group Attribution Error

Group Attribution Error
BehaviorHigh supportSocial Psychology
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Updated 2026-08-06

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

The group attribution error is the tendency to treat an individual's behavior as evidence about the group the person belongs to, and conversely to assume that every member shares the characteristics of the group. It is a cross-level inference error: it moves illegitimately between the individual and the collective. The pattern is asymmetric, since out-group behavior is read as typical while in-group behavior is read as personal, which makes the error a cognitive foundation of stereotyping.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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- Check the level: ask whether the evidence you have is about an individual or about a group. - Test the inference: verify that the sample actually represents the group before generalizing. - Apply one rule: judge in-group and out-group behavior by exactly the same standard.

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The mind summarizes people into categories to reduce complexity, so a group label is readily available whenever an individual is encountered. Behavior then gets attributed to the label rather than to the person's situation, and the reverse inference runs from group statistics back to each member. Because the reasoning crosses levels without warrant, conclusions about individuals and groups become interchangeable.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_attribution_errorZH · Explicit
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