Attribution Theories: Part 2 (Learn Social Psychology Fundamentals)

Summary

This lesson discusses the fundamental attribution error, where people tend to make dispositional attributions by default, ignoring situational factors. It explores when people might correct their initial attributions, using Dan Gilbert's three-stage correction model, which explains how situational factors are only considered when individuals have the time and motivation to reflect. The video also covers the actor-observer effect, self-serving attribution, and how we tend to credit ourselves for successes while blaming failures on external factors. The key takeaway is that people are more likely to account for external influences in their own behavior rather than others'.

Takeaways

• 😀 Dispositional attribution refers to explaining others' behavior based on internal factors like personality, while situational attribution considers external influences.
• 😀 The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) is the tendency to overemphasize dispositional explanations and ignore situational factors when judging others' behavior.
• 😀 Dan Gilbert's correction model suggests that people first make dispositional attributions automatically and only revise them to include situational factors if they have time and motivation.
• 😀 Cognitive load can influence attributions: when people are distracted or mentally busy, they are more likely to make dispositional attributions without considering the situation.
• 😀 An experiment showed that when people had the opportunity to think deeply, they were more likely to account for situational factors in their judgments of others' anxiety.
• 😀 The Actor-Observer Effect describes how we tend to attribute our own behavior to external factors (situations) while attributing others' behavior to internal factors (dispositions).
• 😀 Self-serving bias occurs when individuals attribute their successes to internal factors (e.g., ability) and their failures to external factors (e.g., a difficult test) to protect their self-esteem.
• 😀 In the self-serving attribution, we take credit for positive outcomes (e.g., acing a test) but deflect blame for negative outcomes (e.g., failing a test).
• 😀 When explaining our own behavior, we are more likely to consider situational factors, but we tend to attribute others' actions to their personality.
• 😀 People with open mental resources are more likely to revise their attributions and consider the role of the situation, which can lead to more accurate judgments of others' behavior.

Q & A

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency of people to make dispositional attributions for others' behaviors, attributing their actions to internal characteristics rather than considering situational factors that might have influenced their behavior.

What is Dan Gilbert's correction model and how does it explain attribution?

Dan Gilbert's correction model proposes that there are three stages in making attributions: first, we identify the behavior; second, we automatically draw a dispositional attribution; and third, we may revise this attribution to account for situational factors, but this revision requires extra time and mental effort.

How does cognitive load affect people's ability to make situational attributions?

When people are cognitively busy or distracted, they do not have the mental capacity to revise their initial dispositional attribution. As a result, they are more likely to ignore situational factors and attribute behavior to internal traits.

What was the main finding from the 1980s experiment by Gilbert, Pelham, and Crawley?

The experiment showed that when people were distracted and unable to think deeply, they attributed the woman's anxious behavior to her personality. However, when participants were not distracted and could consider the situation (the topic of conversation), they were more likely to attribute her anxiety to the situational context.

What is the actor-observer effect?

The actor-observer effect describes the tendency for people to attribute their own behaviors to situational factors, while they attribute others' behaviors to dispositional causes. This effect highlights a difference in attribution when considering one's own actions versus those of others.

How do people explain their own failures versus their successes?

People tend to use situational attributions to explain their failures, such as blaming external factors, while they use dispositional attributions to explain their successes, attributing positive outcomes to their own abilities or characteristics.

What is a self-serving attribution?

A self-serving attribution is the tendency for individuals to take credit for their successes (through dispositional attributions) while attributing their failures to external factors (through situational attributions). This helps protect and enhance their self-esteem.

Can you provide an example of a self-serving attribution in a tutoring scenario?

In a tutoring scenario, if a student gets an A on a test, the tutor might attribute the success to their own skill as a tutor (a dispositional attribution). However, if the student fails, the tutor might blame the student’s lack of ability instead of their own teaching method (a situational attribution).

How do people generally make attributions when considering their own behavior versus others' behaviors?

Generally, people are more likely to make situational attributions for their own behavior, acknowledging external influences, while they are more likely to make dispositional attributions for others' behaviors, assuming internal characteristics are at play.

Why do people often make dispositional attributions for others and situational attributions for themselves?

This pattern is driven by the need to protect one’s self-esteem and to maintain a positive self-image. By attributing their own failures to external circumstances, individuals can avoid negative self-judgment, whereas they tend to see others' behaviors as reflections of their internal traits.