Bias in the attribution of hyperkinetic behavior as a function of ethnic identification and socioeconomic status

Twenty-four school psychologists, 24 parents, and 27 elementary teachers observed films of an Afro-American, a Mexican-American, and an Anglo-American eight-year-old boy and assessed each child for hyperkinesis, using a behavioral rating scale developed for this study. The hypothesis that the perceived socioecnomic status and ethnic identification of assessees would influence assessors' attributions of hyperkinetic behavior was tested and supported. Lower socioeconomic status children and ethnic minority children were rated as more hyperkinetic by teachers, school psychologists, and parents than were middle socioeconomic status or Anglo-American children. Implications for the assessment process are discussed, and findings are explained in terms of attribution theory.