Discuss two errors in attributions. (22)
Discuss (22) – A considered and balanced review, including a range of arguments, factors or hypothesis. Opinions and conclusions presented clearly supported by appropriate evidence.
*There are more than two errors in attribution here, choose two you are most confident with.
Attribution
- Process of interpreting and explaining behaviour.
- People do not passively observe their own and others’ actions.
Actor-observer effect
- When people attribute behaviour whether they perform it themselves or observe others doing it.
Two factors of attributions
- Situational attributions
- Attributing to situational or external factors (e.g. Weather)
- Dispositional attributions
- Attributing to personal or internal factors (e.g. Intelligence)
Errors in attributions
Fundamental Attribution Error
- When the role of disposition is overestimated and the affect of the situation is underestimated.
Lee et al. – Audience and Game show experiment (FAE) |
[A] |
Demonstrate the Fundamental Attributional Error (FAE). |
[P] |
- Subjects were split into groups of hosts, audiences and contestants, randomly.
- Hosts were asked to design there own questions.
- Audiences watched the show.
- After the game show the audience were asked to rank the intelligence of people taken part.
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[F] |
- Audience consistently rated the hosts smarter.
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[C] |
- They failed to attribute the role to the person’s situation (random assignation of role).
- Instead attributed the person’s performance to dispositional factors.
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[E] |
- Only student participants were used.
- University students spend their days listening to professors – authority figures who ask questions and give answers and is a learned response rather than attribution error.
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Jones and Harris – Castro Essays evaluation (FAE) |
[A] |
Demonstrate the Fundamental Attributional Error (FAE). |
[P] |
- Participants were university students.
- Subjects read pro and anti Fidel Castro (the Cuban revolutionary) essays.
- Subjects were asked to rate the “Pro Castro” attitudes of the writer on the scale of 10 to 70.
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[F] |
- When subject believed that the writers had free choice of their position, they rated writers with who spoke in favor of Castro as having a more positive attitude towards Castro.
- When subject were told that the writers determined their position with a coin toss, they still rated writers who spoke in favor of Castro as having a more positive attitude.
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[C] |
- This proves that although behaviour was severely constrained by situation, observers still opted for internal attribution.
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Self Fulfilling Prophecy
- Been told too much that you end up believing it.
Leon Festinger – When Prophecy Fails (Self Fulfilling Prophecy) |
[A] |
Investigate the existence of Self Fulfilling Prophecy. |
[P] |
- Experimenters found a group of superstitious people in Chicago believing that the world would end on December 21st.
- They became part of the group to observe their behaviour when the world didn’t actually come to an end.
- Experimenters needed to be part of the group because the group isolated themselves from all non-believers.
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[F] |
- The group of people explained to themselves that God did not destroy the world because of their prayers.
- Caused cognitive dissonance (discomfort caused by conflicting cognitions i.e. ideas, beliefs).
- This is to protect there own group self esteem.
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[C] |
- Self Fulfilling Prophecy was apparent as the believers made up a reason when their believe did not come true.
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[E] |
- Ecological validity: High, naturalistic observation.
- Culture bias: only one superstitious group were studied locally.
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Illusory Correlation
- Correlating data that has a seemingly convincing connection but in fact is not connected at all.
Snyder and Swann – Introverts and Extroverts (Illusory Correlation) |
[A] |
Testing stereotype. |
[P] |
- Told female students that they would either meet someone that was either introvert or extrovert.
- They were then asked to prepare a set of questions for the person they were going to meet.
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[F] |
- Participants that thought they were meeting an introvert asked questions like "What do you dislike about parties?" or "Are there times you wish you could be more outgoing?"
- Participants that thought they were meeting an extrovert asked questions like "What do you do to liven up a party?"
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[C] |
- Questions asked displayed the participants' stereotypes towards either personality.
- Revealed the formation of stereotyping – Illusory Correlation.
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Modesty Bias & Self Serving Bias
- Modesty bias: Tendency to attributing success to external factors and failures to internal factors.
- Self serving bias: Tendency to attributing success to internal factors and failures to external factors.
Greenberg et al.
- Argues that Self Serving Bias is a way to protect and boost our own self esteem.
- If success is attributed to disposition, we feel satisfaction which boosts our self esteem.
- If failure is attributed to situation, i.e. factors beyond our control, our self esteem will be protected.
Kashima and Triandis – Self Serving Bias and Modesty Bias study |
[A] |
Cultural factors affecting attribution (Self Serving Bias and Modesty Bias). |
[P] |
- Participants were students from Japan and America.
- They were given pictures of unfamiliar countries and were asked to remember details.
- Participants then performed a recall of the details.
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[F] |
- American students tend to attribute success to dispositional factors more. (Self serving bias).
- Japanese students tent to attribute failure to dispositional factors more (Modesty bias).
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[C] |
- Biases in attribution can be affected by our cultural background.
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[E] |
- Ecological validity: High, naturalistic observation.
- Culture bias: only one superstitious group were studied locally.
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