Hostile Attribution Bias Research Articles

It's not just what you say, it's how you say it too. Adolescents' hostile attribution of intent and emotional responses to social comments.

A highly prevalent and relevant situation in which adolescents have to interpret the intentions of others is when they interact with peers. We therefore successfully introduced a new paradigm to measure hostile attribution bias (HAB) and emotional responses to such social interactions and examined how it related to youth's aggressiveness. We presented 881 adolescents (M age = 14.35 years; SD = 1.23; 48.1% male) with audio fragments of age‐mates expressing social comments that varied in content (e.g., what the person says) and tone of voice (e.g., how the person says it). Participants' peers also reported on their aggressiveness. In general, added negativity of content and tone was driving the youth's intent attribution and emotional responses to the comments. In line with the Social Information Processing model, we found more hostile attribution of intent and more negative emotional responses of aggressive youth to ambiguous stimuli. Aggression was also related to more hostile intent attributions when both content and tone were negative. Unlike most studies on HAB, the aggression effects in the current study emerged for girls, but not boys. Implications of these results and future use of the experimental paradigm are discussed.

Crime and social cognition: a meta-analytic review of the developmental roots of adult criminal thinking

In an effort to investigate and verify the developmental roots of adult criminal thinking, a meta-analysis was performed on nine social cognitive variables organized into three clusters and hypothesized to precede the criminal thinking dimensions of proactive criminal thinking, reactive criminal thinking, and criminal identity. The three proactive antecedents were moral disengagement, neutralization, and positive outcome expectancies for crime; the three reactive antecedents were hostile attribution biases, temporal discounting, and thrill/sensation seeking; and the three criminal identity antecedents were criminal self-efficacy, feared possible selves, and reflected appraisals. A series of random effects meta-analyses were performed, the results of which revealed the presence of significant pooled effect sizes for the proactive (k = 26, r = 0.34), reactive (k = 25, r = 0.25), and criminal identity (k = 11, r = 0.24) antecedents as correlates of juvenile delinquency and adult crime. Restricting the analyses to studies with prospective data indicated that each antecedent cluster successfully predicted future offending. The results of this meta-analytic review denote that social cognitive variables proposed to serve as antecedents to adult criminal thinking both correlate with and predict delinquency and general offending in adolescent populations.

Does customer incivility undermine employees’ service performance?

Abstract This study extends the growing body of research on customer incivility by examining its impact on employees’ in-role and extra-role service performance in the hospitality industry. Using a sample of 307 employee–supervisor dyads in nine hotels in Zhuhai City, China, this research examined the impact of customer incivility along with negative affectivity and hostile attribution bias on in-role performance and extra-role performance, particularly proactive customer service performance (PCSP). The results demonstrate that, while customer incivility negatively influenced PCSP, it did not impact in-role performance. Furthermore, the effect of customer incivility on PCSP was mediated by negative affectivity. Additionally, hostile attribution bias significantly moderated the relationship between customer incivility and negative affectivity, as well as the indirect relationship between customer incivility and PCSP through negative affectivity.

Effect of workplace ostracism on emotional exhaustion and unethical behaviour among Chinese nurses: A time-lagged three-wave survey.

This study examined the following: (a) the impact of nurses' workplace ostracism on unethical behaviour; (b) mediating role of emotional exhaustion between nurses' workplace ostracism and unethical behaviour; and (c) moderating effect of hostile attribution bias. While unethical behaviour is a workplace phenomenon that can negatively influence the sustainable development of settings, few nurse studies have explored it. This study identified an interpersonal antecedent of unethical behaviour: workplace ostracism. A time-lagged three-wave survey was conducted over 3months (November 2016-January 2017) to collect data. Nurses (N=530) from three hospitals in China completed three anonymous self-reported questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and moderated mediation tests were performed, and data analysed using SPSS 23.0 and Mplus7.4. Workplace ostracism positively influenced nurses' unethical behaviour and emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between workplace ostracism and unethical behaviour. Nurses' hostile attribution bias moderated the effect of workplace ostracism on emotional exhaustion and unethical behaviour. Workplace ostracism was an important interpersonal factor predicting unethical behaviour. Nurse supervisors should establish a harmonious interpersonal environment and be aware of hostile attribution bias to prevent nurses' unethical behaviour. Workplace ostracism is a pervasive phenomenon in the nursing workplace that contributes to unethical behaviour. Nurse supervisors and staff should together establish harmonious working environments without workplace ostracism. Nurse supervisors should pay attention to nurses' emotions and conduct psychological counselling to minimize the negative effects of workplace ostracism. This study contributed to understanding how and why nurses engaged in unethical behaviour.

Bearing the Burden: Outcomes and Moderators of Social Burden in the Workplace

In this study, we sought to replicate and extend the findings of past research dealing with social burden. Social burden is defined as behaviors from colleagues that elicit social support from coworkers. Previous research has demonstrated that social burden often leads to detrimental outcomes, despite the fact that the social burden is not, by definition, negative. However, further research is still needed to understand just how social burden impacts organizations and those within them. Using a large, diverse sample (N = 632), we assessed the effects of social burden on various attitudinal, well-being, and behavioral outcomes. In addition, we assessed interaction effects of both hostile attribution bias and negative reciprocity beliefs on the relationship between social burden and counterproductive work behavior. Results replicated previous findings and uncovered a novel interaction within the social burden and counterproductive work behavior relationship: higher levels of negative reciprocity beliefs strengthen the relationship between social burden and counterproductive work behavior. In addition, post-hoc analysis of the social burden construct found significant differences between the more emotion-laden social burden items and the more instrumental social burden items in their relationship with counterproductive work behavior.

S73. RELATIONSHIP OF COGNITIVE ABILITY AND PERSONALITY TRAITS WITH HOSTILE ATTRIBUTION BIAS IN NONCLINICAL SUBJECTS: THEORY OF MIND AS A MEDIATOR

BackgroundHostile attribution bias has been reported to be common from nonclinical population to serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and is known to be closely related to social cognition. The aims of this study was to investigate whether theory of mind (ToM) skills mediate the relationship between cognitive ability and personality traits and attribution bias by using the Korean version of Reading the Minds in the eyes test (K-RMET).MethodsOne hundred ninety-six (101 females) nonclinical youths were recruited. To assess general cognitive ability and ToM skills, participants were asked to complete the Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) and the K-RMET. For personality traits, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (psychoticism) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (perspective taking) were administered. To evaluate the hostile attribution bias, the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire was also administered. Path analysis and the bias‐corrected percentile bootstrap method were performed to estimate the parameters of mediating effects.ResultsBased on Akaike Information Criterion(AIC) the best model characterized 1) two direct pathways from psychoticism and the K-RMET to hostility attribution bias and 2) four indirect pathways, wherein SPM, perspective taking and psychoticism influence hostile attribution bias through the K-RMET. The K-RMET fully mediated the association between SPM (p=.028), perspective taking (p=.027), psychoticism (p=.041) and hostile attribution bias.DiscussionThe main findings suggested that ToM skill such as the RMET plays an important role in explaining the relationship between cognitive ability and personality traits and hostile attribution bias. The development of remediation strategy of theory of mind skills may be needed to balance the enhanced hostility bias which is underlying the paranoia.

Childhood maltreatment and aggression: The mediating roles of hostile attribution bias and anger rumination

Childhood maltreatment is a recognized risk factor for aggressive behaviours. Although some mediators were found, the mental mechanism underlying the effect of childhood maltreatment on aggression seems to remains unclear. In the present study, a temporal path model (represented by hostile attribution bias (HAB) and anger rumination) was developed to explain the mediating mechanism in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and aggression. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Word-Sentence Association Paradigm-Hostile, Anger Rumination Scale, and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire were used in a sample of 973 undergraduate students. Multiple mediation analysis and bootstrapping were conducted via Mplus7 to assess whether HAB and anger rumination mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and aggression. The results showed HAB (indirect effects = 0.04, 95% confidence intervals [0.03 0.06]) and anger rumination (indirect effects = 0.10, 95% confidence intervals [0.08 0.13]) mediated the link between child maltreatment and aggressive behaviours. Pairwise contrast to the indirect effect indicated that anger rumination had a stronger mediating effect than HAB (p < 0.001). We argue that child maltreatment may trigger immediate aggression during a provoking event through HAB (an in-process mechanism) and lead to delayed aggression after interpersonal conflict through anger rumination (a post-process mechanism).

Mediating Effect of Attributional Biases in the Impulsivity-Aggression Relationship Among Adolescents: Therapeutic Implications.

Aggression is a multidimensional phenomenon, and for its better understanding, specificity involved in its dynamics must be explored. This article explores the role of attributional bias as a mediator between impulsivity and aggressive tendencies among adolescents. The mediating effect of hostile attributional bias (HAB) on the impulsivity-aggression relationship has not been studied extensively so far, especially in the Indian context. For testing the hypotheses, 320 participants within the age range 12 to 15 years (M age = 13.57 years) were selected and administered relevant standardized questionnaires. Baron and Kenny's criterion was used for mediation analysis, demonstrating that HAB partially mediates the association between impulsivity and aggression. Findings imply that reducing HAB through some reattribution intervention may be an effective strategy to reduce impulsivity-induced aggression. Specific guidelines to implement such interventions are suggested in the discussion.

Attributional and attentional bias in children with conduct problems and callous-unemotional traits: a case\u2013control study

BackgroundChildren who are frequently aggressive or lack empathy show various deficits in their social information processing. Several findings suggest that children with conduct problems (CP) show a tendency to interpret ambiguous situations as hostile (hostile attribution bias) and have difficulties to disengage from negative stimuli (attentional bias). The role that additional callous-unemotional traits (CU-traits) play in these biases is yet unclear. Investigating both attentional and attributional aspects of social information processing in children can help us to understand where anomalies in the processing pathway occur and whether the biases are associated with CP and CU-traits separately or in an interactive manner.MethodsWe compared three groups of children: (a) 25 children with CP and low levels of CU-traits (b) 25 children with CP and elevated levels of CU-traits (c) 50 gender (68% male), age (8–17 years) and intelligence score-matched typically developing children, on a pictorial emotional stroop task and a hostile attribution bias task.ResultsIn contrast to our predictions, there were no significant group differences regarding attentional biases or hostile attribution biases. Boys with CP and high levels of CU-traits showed a significantly higher hostile attribution bias compared to girls with CP and high levels of CU-traits. The attention bias to angry stimuli significantly correlated with the hostile attribution bias. Compared to the control group the CP group with low levels of CU-traits showed a significantly stronger association between the attention bias to angry stimuli and the hostile attribution bias.ConclusionsThe current study provides evidence that boys with CP and high levels of CU-traits interpret ambiguous situations as more hostile than girls do. Our results further provide indications that the interaction of attentional and attributional biases in children with CP might contribute to their increased aggressive behavior.

Financial strain, maternal attributions, emotion knowledge and children's behavioral readiness for school

In this research, we applied the family stress model to examine maternal hostile attribution bias and emotion situation knowledge as mediators linking family financial strain and children's behavioral readiness for school in a sample of affluent mothers and preschoolers (63 boys). The sample was diverse with regard to race, but the majority of the children were White. Using serial mediational analyses conducted by PROCESS, results indicated that the associations between perceived family financial strain and low levels of social competence and high levels of internalizing behavior were mediated by maternal hostile attributions and lowered child emotion situation knowledge. We discuss the impact of perceived financial strain on parental cognitions and young children's emotion knowledge and behavioral readiness for formal schooling and offer directions for future research and implications for interventions.

Modification of hostile attribution bias reduces self-reported reactive aggressive behavior in adolescents

Aggressive individuals more readily interpret others’ motives and intentions in ambiguous situations as hostile. This hostile attribution bias has been argued to be causally involved in the development and maintenance of aggression, making it a target for interventions. In our current study, adolescents selected for high levels of aggression (N = 39) were assigned to either a test–retest control group or a five-session hostile attribution bias modification training, in which they were trained to make more benign interpretations of ambiguously provocative social situations. Before and after the training, we assessed hostile attribution bias and both reactive and proactive self-reported aggression in both groups. The training not only tended to produce the expected reduction in hostile attribution bias but also crucially led to decreased levels of reactive but not proactive aggression compared with the control group. Our results thus support the idea that hostile attribution bias can be targeted using training techniques and that such training-induced changes in bias may reduce aggression. However, future studies using an active control group and multiple outcome measures are needed to address the long-term effects of training.

The relationship between alexithymia, hostile attribution bias, and aggression

Prior studies found a positive association between alexithymia and aggression. This study extended existing findings by adopting a subdimensional approach to investigate the unique association of alexithymia factors with reactive and proactive aggression, such as difficulty identifying feelings (DIF), difficulty describing feelings (DDF), and externally oriented thinking (EOT). This study also explored factors associated with the link between alexithymia and aggression by investigating the potential moderating role of hostile attribution bias (HAB). Four hundred and eighty-five college students (275 females) were recruited. Results showed that alexithymia was positively associated with aggression; however, different alexithymia factors did not show equally strong associations with aggression subtypes. Specifically, DIF (in contrast to DDF and EOT) was the strongest correlate of reactive aggression, while EOT (in contrast to DIF and DDF) was the strongest correlate of proactive aggression. Meanwhile, HAB was a moderator for the relationship between alexithymia and aggression, but not between alexithymia factors and aggression subtypes. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.

The Influence of Mistreatment by Patients on Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention among Chinese Nurses: A Three-Wave Survey.

The affective event of mistreatment in the workplace has been recognized as an important factor influencing employee affect and behavior. However, few studies have logically explained and empirically clarified the link between mistreatment by patients and nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention. The current study aimed to explore the effects of mistreatment by patients on nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention through work meaningfulness and emotional dissonance, as well as the moderating role of hostile attribution bias. Using three-wave survey data collect from 657 nurses who worked in three hospitals in China, we found that mistreatment by patients had a negative effect on nurses’ job satisfaction through work meaningfulness, mistreatment by patients had a positive effect on nurses’ turnover intention through emotional dissonance. Furthermore, nurses’ hostile attribution bias acted as an effective moderator on the relationship. These findings help uncover the mechanisms and conditions in which mistreatment by patients influences nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention.

Mindful social inferences: Decentering decreases hostile attributions

AbstractWhile research indicates that mindfulness can benefit individual well‐being, less is known about its potential impact in the interpersonal domain. In the current research, we examined whether a central element of mindfulness—decentering—decreases hostile attributions in ambiguous social situations. We hypothesized that decentering from experiences—observing and considering them as mental events that arise and disappear—hampers the development of hostile attributions. A series of three laboratory studies, two of which were high‐powered and pre‐registered, demonstrated that decentering decreases hostile attribution in response to ambiguous social scenarios as compared to immersion instructions, and as compared to baseline. Additionally, the results suggest that decentering may be particularly beneficial in reducing hostile attribution bias among participants high in trait rumination. The current findings provide initial insights into the effect of decentering on the development of hostile attribution bias, and the association between mindfulness and interpersonal responses more generally.

Parental influences on child report of relational attribution biases during early childhood

Influences on social cognition, such as hostile attribution biases, are a relatively understudied topic despite the association of hostile attribution biases with important developmental and clinical outcomes. From a developmental perspective, it is particularly important to understand the early development of biases regarding how the intentions of others are perceived, especially in the relationship context. Therefore, understanding potential correlates, such as parental influences, of such biases during early childhood may be especially important. The current study (N = 121) was designed to explore several gaps and limitations in the hostile intent attribution literature, especially the lack of research on hostile attribution biases for relational provocations and associated parent behavior. In particular, this gap was addressed by investigating parental influences on hostile attribution biases for relational provocations during early childhood (i.e., 3–5 years of age) using parent and child reports. It was found that parent hostile attribution biases for relational provocations was significantly associated with child hostile attribution biases for relational provocations. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that parent relational aggression was related to parenting practices. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A dangerous world implicit theory: examining overlap with other criminogenic constructs

ABSTRACT Ward and Keenan (1999, Child molesters’ implicit theories. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14(8), 821–838. doi: 10.1177/088626099014008003) hypothesised that some individuals who sexually offend against children have belief systems through which they perceive the world as an inherently dangerous place – labelled a dangerous world implicit theory (DWIT). Individuals with a DWIT are hypothesised to either (1) believe it is necessary to punish women and/or children who are perceived as threatening, or (2) see children as more accepting than adults, and as capable of understanding and gratifying the individual’s needs and desires. In two online studies (N = 113 and N = 123) we examined the possible overlap between the DWIT and four other constructs: hostile attribution bias, hostile sexism, emotional congruence with children, and a ‘children as sexual beings’ implicit theory. Results suggest that identifying with an individual holding DWIT overlaps considerably with some of the other constructs, but not with hostile attribution bias – a finding that ran counter to our hypotheses.

When and how the psychologically entitled employees hide more knowledge?

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine how psychological entitlement is associated with knowledge hiding behaviors and why some individuals, unlike others, indulge in more knowledge hiding behaviors because of entitlement tendency. Using a time lag study design, we collected data from 241 participants from hospitality sector of Pakistan. The results indicate that psychological entitlement is positively associated with knowledge hiding behaviors and this relationship is mediated by abusive supervision perceptions. Our results also show that hostile attribution bias strengthens the positive impact of psychological entitlement on abusive supervision perceptions. Moreover, the indirect effect of psychological entitlement on knowledge hiding behavior via abusive supervision perceptions is stronger for employees with high levels of hostile attribution bias than employees with low levels of hostile attribution bias.

Collective Narcissism and In-Group Satisfaction Predict Opposite Attitudes Toward Refugees via Attribution of Hostility.

We examined whether and why collective narcissism (i.e., resentment for insufficient recognition of the in-group’s importance) versus in-group satisfaction (i.e., a belief that the in-group and one’s membership in it are reasons to be proud) have opposite, unique associations with hostility toward Syrian refugees in Poland. Results of two cross-sectional studies (Study 1, N = 1066 and Study 2, N = 419) converge to indicate that collective narcissism predicts hostility toward Syrian refugees via attributing Syrian refugees with hostile intentions toward Poles. In-group satisfaction is associated with rejection of hostile actions toward Syrian refugees because it decreases hostile attribution bias with regards to Syrian refugees. Thus, being a satisfied member of a national group promotes tolerance toward refugees, while collective narcissism is associated with blaming refugees for provoking the in-group’s hostility.

Influence of Hostile Attribution Bias on Cyberbullying Perpetration in Middle School Students and the Multiple Additive Moderating Effect of Justice Sensitivity

Influence of Hostile Attribution Bias on Cyberbullying Perpetration in Middle School Students and the Multiple Additive Moderating Effect of Justice Sensitivity

The impact of customer incivility on employees’ family undermining: a conservation of resources perspective

Applying conservation of resources theory, this study focused on the effect of customer incivility on employees’ family undermining. Specifically, we examined the mediating effect of work-to-family conflicts and the moderating effects of hostile attribution bias. We utilized a three-phase survey to collect data from 264 employees in China. Results indicated that customer incivility exerted a positive impact on work-to-family conflicts, and these led in turn to family undermining. Moreover, the hostile attribution bias of employees exacerbated the impact of customer incivility on work-to-family conflicts and the mediated effect. Both theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the study.