I am deviant, because ...: The impact of situational factors upon the black sheep effect

This study explored the effect of different performance conditions upon the occurrence of the black sheep effect. It is expected that a poorly perform ing ingroup member would be evaluated less positively than an equally poorl y performing outgroup member, whereas a well performing ingroup member woul d be evaluated more positively than an equally well performing outgroup mem ber(i.e., the black sheep hypothesis). This pattern is expected only when n o information is given concerning the nature of the performance circumstanc es. When subjects are informed that the performance circumstances were unfa vourable, attributional processes can become activated resulting in a patte rn of evaluations that differs from the one suggested by the black sheep hy pothesis. Our results revealed indeed that information on the nature of the performance condition, influences the occurrence of the black sheep effect .