Fundamental Misattribution Error
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Fundamental Attribution Error Quizlet
too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. (February 2015) (Learn how ultimate attribution error and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) In social psychology, the fundamental attribution error, also known as the correspondence bias or attribution effect, fundamental attribution theory definition is the tendency for people to place an undue emphasis on internal characteristics of the agent (character or intention), rather than external factors, in explaining another person's behavior in a given situation. This contrasts with interpreting one's own behavior, where situational factors are more easily recognized and can be taken into account. Contents 1 Examples 2 Details 3 Classic demonstration study: Jones and Harris (1967)
Defensive Attribution
4 Explanations 5 Cultural differences in the error 6 Versus correspondence bias 7 See also 7.1 Cognitive biases 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links Examples[edit] As a simple example, consider a situation where Alice, a driver, is about to pass through an intersection. Her light turns green and she begins to accelerate, but another car drives through the red light and crosses in front of her. The fundamental attribution error may lead her to think that the driver of the other car was an unskilled or reckless driver. This will be an error if the other driver had a good reason for running the light, such as rushing a patient to the hospital. If this is the case and Alice had been driving the other car, she would have understood that the situation called for speed at the cost of safety, but when seeing it from the outside she was inclined to believe that the behavior of the other driver reflected their fundamental nature (having poor driving skills or a reckless attitude). Another example relates to a slippery path: A traveler carefully walks down a sloped path in the rain. The t
describes the tendency for observer’s to attribute other people’s behavior to internal or dispositional factors and to downplay situational causes (Gilbert & Malone, 1995). Every day people make causal explanations for their the fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency of own and others’ behavior, as well as for events in general. These explanations, the fundamental attribution error is less likely or attributions, are a crucial form of information processing that help explain the situations and behavior occurring in the
Actor Observer Effect
world around us (Kazdin, 2000). Psychologists have come up with multiple attribution theories to describe the different ways people use various pieces of information when trying to explain particular events. According to research, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error humans actively engage in attribution methods because they have an innate desire to understand, predict, and control what’s going on around them (Forgas, 1998). In doing so, people’s ability to know, and, in some ways, control the social world around them is enhanced. When determining what caused a particular event the observer focuses on either the internal or external factors that are present. The personality, http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/The_Fundamental_Attribution_Error abilities, and traits of the person involved are all classified as internal while environmental constraints, other people’s actions, and properties of the situation are external (Reeder, 1982). Most of the time, when trying to explain what happens in social settings, people tend to view the behavior of the actor, or person involved in the situation, as an extremely significant factor. As a result, observers tend to explain behavior in terms of the actors internal disposition rather than the external situational factors (Kazdin, 2000). This inclination to over exaggerate the influence of behavior, personality traits, motives, etc. and underestimate the power of external factors in a given situation is known as the fundamental attribution error or FAE (Amabile, Ross, and Steinmetz, 1977). The fundamental attribution error has been studied and observed in real-life situations as well as psychology experiments. Researchers have determined a few explanations for the occurrence of the FAE however, its causes and consequences remain poorly understood (Gilbert & Malone, 1995). Often, attributional errors are a result of the cognitive strategies used to simplify and easily process the information of the complex world (Forgas, 1998). People are cognitive misers and when
News Word of the Day Psychology Journals Psych Writing GRE Psychology Articles Psych Links Get Into Grad School Advertise Support http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Fundamental%20Attribution%20Error Psychology Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Follow http://www.understandingprejudice.org/apa/english/page9.htm AlleyDog Fundamental Attribution Error Imagine this situation, you are at school and someone you know comes by, you say hello, and this person just gives you a quick, unfriendly attribution error "hello" and then walks away. How would you attribute this situation -- why did this person act this way? If you react to this situation by saying the person is a "jerk" or an "ass", then you have made the fundamental attribution error; the tendency for an observer, when interpreting and explaining the behavior of another person (the fundamental attribution error actor), to underestimate the situation and to overestimate the personal disposition. Maybe the person was having the worst day of their life, just found out a loved one died, failed a test and was feeling devastated, etc. In this case, the situation may have caused them to act in a way that was different than their normal happy self. But, you, as a normal observer, would instead attribute their behavior to them as a person...acted that way because that is the type of person they are. Add flashcard Cite Random Interested in a Graduate Psychology Degree? You can get free information about Adler University's graduate psychology programs just by answering a few short questions. Get Free Info Word of the Day Get the word of the day delivered to your inbox Want to study Fundamental Attribution Error? Check out Adler University © 1998-2016, AlleyDog.com. All material within this site is the property of AlleyDog.com. This material may not be reprinted or copied for any reason without the express written consent of AlleyDog.com.
both a symptom and source of prejudice. If, for example, a single mother's homelessness is attributed to dispositional factors such as personal laziness, poor character, or lack of ability, prejudice toward single mothers is likely to persist. In contrast, if her homelessness is attributed to situational factors such as job layoffs or domestic partner violence, prejudice toward single mothers may not come into play or may even be reduced. The problem, when it comes to prejudice, is that people often make uncharitable attributions for the behavior of outgroup members. They do this in at least three ways: Just-World Attributions in an Unjust World In many situations, causal attributions implicitly follow a "just world" ideology that assumes people get what they deserve and deserve what they get (Lerner, 1980; Montada & Lerner, 1998). For example, people who hold just-world beliefs are more likely than others to blame poor people for being impoverished and, to some extent, are more likely to blame women for being battered or raped (Cowan & Curtis, 1994; Cozzarelli, Wilkinson, & Tagler, 2001; Schuller, Smith, & Olson, 1994). The difficulty with such attributions is that the world is not always just; people often find themselves in unfair circumstances, whether by birth, happenstance, or other factors beyond their control. In such cases, a just-world ideology downplays the role of situational factors and says, in essence, that the problem of social injustice lies not in society but in the victims of prejudice. The Fundamental Attribution Error In addition to just-world beliefs, people have a more general tendency to attribute behavior to dispositional causes. Even when behaviors are undeniably caused by situational factors, people will sometimes favor dispositional explanations -- a misjudgment known as the "fundamental attribution error" (Ross, 1977). For example, in one of the earliest studies published on this topic, participants were presented with an essay written by someone who was either explicitly forced to take a particular position or someone who had free choice in selecting a position (Jones & Harris, 1967). Even when particip