PSYC 1030H Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Dispositional Attribution, Mind Control, Fundamental Attribution Error
3 Sep 2013
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Psychology chapter 8: behaviour in social and cultural context. When we make a situational attribution, we are identifying the cause of an action as something in the situation or environment. When we make a dispositional attribution, we are identifying the cause of an action as something in the person, such as a trait or a motive. The fundamental attribution error is especially prevalent in western nations, where middle-class people tend to believe that individuals are responsible for their own actions and dislike the idea that the situation had much influence over them. Self-serving biases habits of thinking that make us feel good about ourselves, even when we shouldn"t. Two cognitive biases relevant to the attributions people often make: the bias to choose the most flattering and forgiving attributions of our own lapses. Culture may affect whether or not we adopt another type of bias: the group-serving bias.
