PSYCH 240 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Cognitive Dissonance, Dispositional Attribution, Fundamental Attribution Error
Document Summary
Fritz heider"s attribution theory states that people attribute (link) others" behaviors with their (internal) disposition or (external) situations. A person that always smiles at a party might give the impression to others that he is a happy guy (dispositional attribution) or the party is making him happy (situational attribution). Fundamental attribution error when someone attributes others" behavior as a reflection of their real internal disposition not considering situational effects. That is, one makes the mistake of underestimating situational influence and overestimating personality influence. Observing a police officer at work will make you think that they are forceful, non-tolerating, and even aggressive (overestimating personality influence) but this is so because their job demands such actions (underestimating situation influence). However, catch them off duty in a pet shop and you might see how caring and sincere they are. Attitudes your feelings and beliefs that direct the way you respond to your surroundings.
