Publication Type

PhD Dissertation

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

7-2026

Abstract

The poor tend to be viewed as less competent than the rich. This dissertation examined whether social mobility beliefs shape perceived rich-poor competence gaps. When society is seen as highly mobile, people may attribute economic outcomes to internal abilities than external constraints, thereby widening the rich-poor competence gap. Conversely, perceiving low mobility may shift explanations away from internal abilities toward external constraints and narrow the gap. Four studies tested this theory. Study 1 examined the relationships between self-reported mobility beliefs, attributions, and competence of rich and poor targets among Singapore and UK participants. While higher mobility beliefs predicted stronger internal attributions of the rich and poor in both samples, this predicted a wider competence gap only among UK participants. Study 2 manipulated mobility beliefs of Singapore and UK participants using an informational article describing high or low mobility in their countries. In both samples, high mobility information increased internal attributions compared to low mobility information, which in turn reduced competence ratings of poor but not the rich. Studies 3 and 4 tested if this effect could be mitigated by an additional information condition highlighting situational constraints (Study 3), or “correcting” dispositional assumptions about the poor (Study 4) despite high mobility. While both additional information conditions did not significantly alter attributions, trends suggest that they mitigated the rich-poor competence gap relative to high mobility information only. These findings highlight how social mobility narratives can unintentionally reinforce class stereotyping and the potential promise of informational approaches in mitigating such effects.

Keywords

social mobility, internal attribution, external attribution, class competence stereotype

Degree Awarded

PhD in Psychology

Discipline

Cognition and Perception | Social Psychology

Supervisor(s)

TAN, Jia Xin, Jacinth (CHEN Jiaxin)

First Page

1

Last Page

120

Publisher

Singapore Management University

City or Country

Singapore

Copyright Owner and License

Author

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