Psychological Attribution Error
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Fundamental Attribution Error Definition
secondary or tertiary sources. (February 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this fundamental attribution theory template message) In social psychology, the fundamental attribution error, also known as the correspondence bias or attribution effect, is the tendency for people to place an undue emphasis on internal characteristics of the agent (character or intention), rather
Defensive Attribution
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) 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 ultimate attribution error 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 traveler slips and falls. The traveler believes this is a slippery path. The traveler continues more carefully. At the bottom of the slope, the traveler rests while waiting for the rain to stop. The traveler sees another person carefully walking down the sloped path. The traveler sees that person slip on the path. The traveler believes that person is clu
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Fundamental Attribution Theory Definition
J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Follow actor observer effect 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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_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 http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Fundamental%20Attribution%20Error 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.
Example | So What? | See also | References Description When we are trying to understand and explain what happens in social settings, we tend to view behavior as a particularly significant factor. We then tend http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/fundamental_attribution_error.htm to explain behavior in terms of internal disposition, such as personality traits, abilities, motives, etc. as opposed to external situational factors. This can be due to our focus on the person more than their situation, about https://www.verywell.com/attribution-social-psychology-2795898 which we may know very little. We also know little about how they are interpreting the situation. Western culture exacerbates this error, as we emphasize individual freedom and autonomy and are socialized to prefer dispositional factors attribution error to situational ones. When we are playing the role of observer, which is largely when we look at others, we make this fundamental attribution error. When we are thinking about ourselves, however, we will tend to make situational attributions. Research Edward Jones and Victor Harris (1967) asked people to assess a person's pro- or anti-Castro feelings given an essay a person had written. Even when the people were told the person had fundamental attribution error been directed to write pro- or anti- arguments, the people still assumed the author believed what they were writing. Example I assume you have not done much today because you are lazy, rather than perhaps tired or lack the right resources. So what? Using it Beware of people blaming you for things outside of your control. Also watch out for people doing it to you. You can make friends and build trust when individuals are blamed by others, by showing that you understand how it is not to do with their personality. Defending Watch how others make attributions. When they seem to go against the trend and be in your favor, be curious about their motives. See also Actor-Observer Difference, Attribution Theory, Correspondence Bias, Correspondent Inference Theory, Covariation Model, Positivity Effect, Ultimate Attribution Error References Heider (1958), Ross (1977), Jones and Nisbett (1972), Jones and Harris (1967) |zk|awa|sp|dp| Site Menu | Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings | Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories | Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guestarticles | Analysis | Books | Help | More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes | Settings: | Computerla
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