ACTOR OBSERVER BIAS DEFINITION HOW TO
ACTOR OBSERVER BIAS DEFINITION SERIES

Student participants were randomly assigned to play the role of a questioner (the quizmaster) or a contestant in a quiz game.

ACTOR OBSERVER BIAS DEFINITION SERIES

A classic example was demonstrated in a series of experiments known as the quizmaster study (Ross, Amabile, & Steinmetz, 1977). The fundamental attribution error is so powerful that people often overlook obvious situational influences on behavior. This is now an external or situational explanation for Greg’s behavior. Would your explanation for Greg’s behavior change? Your revised explanation might be that Greg was frustrated and disappointed for losing his job therefore, he was in a bad mood (his state). However, imagine that Greg was just laid off from his job due to company downsizing. This is an internal or dispositional explanation. Instead of greeting his wife, Greg yells at her, “Leave me alone!” Why did Greg yell at his wife? How would someone committing the fundamental attribution error explain Greg’s behavior? The most common response is that Greg is a mean, angry, or unfriendly person (his traits). To better understand, imagine this scenario: Greg returns home from work, and upon opening the front door his wife happily greets him and inquires about his day. This erroneous assumption is called the fundamental attribution error (Ross, 1977 Riggio & Garcia, 2009). They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations-or attributions-for the behavior of other people. Why do you think this is? We tend to think that people are in control of their own behaviors, and, therefore, any behavior change must be due to something internal, such as their personality, habits, or temperament. In the United States, the predominant culture tends to favor a dispositional approach in explaining human behavior. In fact, the field of social-personality psychology has emerged to study the complex interaction of internal and situational factors that affect human behavior (Mischel, 1977 Richard, Bond, & Stokes-Zoota, 2003). Modern approaches to social psychology, however, take both the situation and the individual into account when studying human behavior (Fiske, Gilbert, & Lindzey, 2010). Social psychologists have tended to take the situationist perspective, whereas personality psychologists have promoted the dispositionist perspective. An internal factor is an attribute of a person and includes personality traits and temperament.

In contrast, dispositionism holds that our behavior is determined by internal factors (Heider, 1958). Situationism is the view that our behavior and actions are determined by our immediate environment and surroundings. Subfields of psychology tend to focus on one influence or behavior over others. Situational and Dispositional Influences on Behaviorīehavior is a product of both the situation (e.g., cultural influences, social roles, and the presence of bystanders) and of the person (e.g., personality characteristics). Interpersonal topics (those that pertain to dyads and groups) include helping behavior, aggression, prejudice and discrimination, attraction and close relationships, and group processes and intergroup relationships. Intrapersonal topics (those that pertain to the individual) include emotions and attitudes, the self, and social cognition (the ways in which we think about ourselves and others). The field of social psychology studies topics at both the intra- and interpersonal levels.

ACTOR OBSERVER BIAS DEFINITION HOW TO

If we are in a new situation or are unsure how to behave, we will take our cues from other individuals.

Essentially, people will change their behavior to align with the social situation at hand. Social psychologists assert that an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are very much influenced by social situations. Social psychology examines how people affect one another, and it looks at the power of the situation.

Describe the fundamental attribution error.Describe situational versus dispositional influences on behavior.By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Actor observer bias definition