Attribution Error And Self Serving Bias - 2175 Words

As human beings, there is a need to have an explanation for anything such as, behavior of others or self, in order to make the world more foreseeable. But those explanations could involve bias and often incorrect. Two errors of attribution is the fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias. Fundamental attribution error (FAE) is the tendency of an observer to overestimate the influence of personal dispositional factors and underestimate the influence of situational factors causes for behavior. And self-serving bias (SSB) is the tendency to attribute successes to personal disposition but attribute failures to situational factors. Knowledge of errors of attribution such as, FAE and SSB, were developed through two studies, The Power of Situations: Jonestown and the Fundamental Attribution Error conducted by Heidi R.Riggio and Amber L. Garcia and Attributions in the Sports Pages (1980) conducted by Richard R. Lau and Dan Russell. These two studies were important in establishing u nderstanding of fundamental attribution error and self-serving bias. In The Power of Situations: Jonestown and the Fundamental Attribution Error by Heidi R.Riggio and Amber L. Garcia examined if a real-life example such as, the cult, People’s Temple or Jonestown, could influence use of the fundamental attribution error. Fundamental attribution error is the tendency of an observer to overestimate the influence of personal dispositional factors and underestimate the influence of situationalShow MoreRelatedErrors in Attribution1404 Words   |  6 PagesDiscuss two errors in attributions Attribution bias is the illogical reasoning behind people’s decisions about one’s own and others’ behaviour by giving objective views on situations, it is essentially faults in a process of elucidation and can lead to errors in interpretation of our own and other’s behaviour because: a) People are ‘cognitive misers’ – we do not examine all the evidence provided or we take mental shortcuts (linking to social cognition) to reach a conclusion, leading to wrongRead MoreAttribution Theory On The Decision Making Process Of Tom And Amy1228 Words   |  5 PagesExplain attribution theory. Draw on the mini-case to identify and explain three biases or errors that may affect the decision-making process of Tom and Amy. 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