PSYC 215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Fundamental Attribution Error, Stanford Prison Experiment, Situation Two

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 215
• Professor: Jacqueline L.Human

Document Summary

Errors and biases: fundamental attribution error, actor-observer difference, self-serving bias, the role of culture. Stanford prison experiment (zimbardo) - instead of focusing on the people we need to focus on the situation that made people behave this way: external influence. [study] jones & harris, 1967: participants read an essay about fidel castro"s communist regime in cuba. Participants read and rated the extent to which they thought the writer was supportive, or not, of castro. Participants were told that the writer freely chose the topic: researchers tried to manipulate the potential influence of the situation, two conditions, topic freely chosen. Topic assigned: essays in both conditions were the same, wanted to know if knowledge of free choice v/s assigned topic influence the. Participants were told that the writer had no choice participants" judgements of the essay writer"s attitudes: both have internalised attributions (proof of fae), but weakened in assigned condition, details on mycourses.