Attribution biases I: The correspondence bias

Question 1

The Fidel Castro study (Jones and Harris, 1967)

Answer 1

Lots happening in Cuba in 60s – negative view towards Castro –

Purpose? Ps make use of situational constraints

Method: Ps shown essays that either supported or opposed Castro

Half told essayist chose content (pro or anti)

Half told essayist assigned position (pro or anti) - won’t know what their true opinion is

Question 2

expected results of the Fidel Castro study

Answer 2

Most people against – assume those assigned to pro are actually against

Question 3

actual results

Answer 3

Failing to correct for situational norms – didn’t think that most people are anti

Question 4

what does the Fidel Castro study mean?

Answer 4

Even when ps were led to believe essayist had been assigned a position, they still assumed beliefs were in line with essay

“Our behaviour, even if not freely chosen, is believed to be a reflection of our true attitudes and personality.” (Moskowitz, 2005)

A pretty robust finding - WHY?

Question 5

objections to the findings

Answer 5

Didn’t get the study

Didn’t realise sometimes in position when you do something you don’t agree with

Essays so good that couldn’t not think that

Feel funny ignoring tone of essay – have to believe it because the researcher wants me to

Wouldn’t write an essay if didn’t believe it

Question 6

1. Wanting dispositions - need for control

Answer 6

Believing we are at the mercy of situations is depressing and scary

a) A dispositionist world view = coping mechanism
b) A dispositionist world = predictability and control

Favour person type words over situation
type words

Question 7

Miller, Norman and Wright (1978)

Answer 7

Observers watched target play game with player – prisoners dilemma type game

3 kinds of observer: normal (just watched), expectant (watched thinking take part), post-expectant (watched but after surprisingly told then have to play)

All were asked to rate perceived dispositionality of target (bigger the score, greater the perceived dispositionality)

Question 8

Miller et al. results

Answer 8

See more dispositional type attributes

Question 9

what does the Miller study mean?

Answer 9

Playing a game with person (or expecting to) increased desire to predict person’s behaviour

Behaviour important because it affects us personally

Attribution of style of play to dispositional characteristics

Prefer to think people are born that way and not made

Question 10

2. Misunderstanding situations

Answer 10

Why should we consistently underestimate the power of situational forces?

a) Situations may be invisible

Question 11

the Quiz show study

Answer 11

Split into threes

Quizmaster, contestant, or observer

Q think up 10 hard questions (hobby)

Qs ask Cs questions
Os…observe

Then, Q, C and O rate Q and C for dispositional knowledgability…

Question 12

the quiz show study results

Answer 12

Participants overlooked the role-conferred advantage

Question 13

2. Misunderstanding situs cont

Answer 13

b) If you don’t see situation, can’t subtract it out of behavioural attribution

Watching a quiz show - “I can do better than that!”

“You had to be there”

Question 14

3. misperceiving behav

Answer 14

The inferential link between seeing and interpreting what we see

“Although it feels like we can simply see what behavior is, such seeing is actually a complex inferential process” (p. 115) – not always clear what someone is doing 

We identify actions and draw inferences about what they mean … sometimes it goes wrong - when?

Prior expectations; perceptual assimilation

Question 15

4. failing to use info

Answer 15

Some questions to think about

The process of dispositional and situational attributions

The distinction between automatic and effortful processing - are some kinds of attributions more effortful?

Which? How can we test this?

Implications for CB?

Question 16

recent developments

Answer 16

“Attributional theories have outlined the procedures by which the causal determinants of behavior may be appreciated, but have been silent with regard to the processes by which these procedures are enacted.” (Gilbert, 1989, p. 193)

Development of stage models: Quattrone (1982), and Gilbert (1989)

Question 17

Gilbert, Pelham and Krull (1988)

Answer 17

Quattrone (1986): Perceivers do not make either or decisions about situational vs dispositional causation - first d (anchor), then correct for s (adjustment)

2 stages…or 3?

Combined Quattrone’s notion of attribution in stages with notion of automaticity

Crux of the model (illustrate)

Question 18

effortful

Answer 18

takes up cognitive resources

Question 19

automatic/controlled distinction

Answer 19

Automatic processes require few resources

Implication: Auto processes should not be disrupted by concurrent mental tasks but…

Controlled processes do require lots of energy etc

Implication: Cont processes should be disrupted by CMTs – don’t have mental capacity to do something else

Apply this to Disp (A) and Sit (C) processes…

Question 20

the ‘sexual fantasies’ exp

Answer 20

Gilbert et al. (1988) showed ps (silent) video of female target

She was biting her finger nails, fidgeting, avoiding eye contact – infer that she is anxious

Ps told: sexual fantasies (anxious topics) or world travel (bland topics)

How dispositionally anxious was she? – as a person in everyday life

Question 21

sexual fantasies results

Answer 21

Obvious! Bland-topics ps rated her as more anxious than anxious topics

But….only half story - 1/2 ps cognitively busy (rehearsing topics) – should be harder to correct for/notice topic would make a difference to anxious over and above dispositional level

These ps judgements unaffected by type of topic (= anxious) – not taking into account situation when cognitively busy

So…initial disp. inference = AUTOMATIC

Correction for situation = EFFORTFUL

Not very realistic situation

Question 22

what does it mean to be cognitively busy?

Answer 22

Simple answer = juggling lots of things at the same time

Other possibilities:

* being PREOCCUPIED (impending doom)
* trying NOT to do something (Basil)
* when we are in the act of DECEIT (trying to be nice)

Question 23

take home messages

Answer 23

“…dispositional inferences are the size 34 trousers of social perception”

“Dispositional attributions may be easier to make than situational attributions, and because people do not always have the mental energy necessary for lengthy contemplation, they may not move beyond the easiest conclusion.”