PSY2203 Lecture 6: Attribution Biases II, The Correspondence Bias

Question 1

What is the correspondence bias?

Answer 1

our tendency to to draw inferences about someone’s personality based on their behaviors, even when these behaviors can be explained by situation factors.

Question 2

Tell me about the Fidel-Castro study which proves correspondence bias is a thing.

Answer 2

participants shown essays that were either pro or anti castro. Half told essayist chose position, half told essayist assigned position. In both, participant assumes person is pro-castro.

Question 3

Why do we tend to fall victim to the correspondence bias?

Answer 3

Need for control - depressing ot think we are slaves to our environment
Misunderstanding/ not recognising situation
Failing to use infomation. Links to Gilbert Model

Question 4

What is Gilberts model of attribution?

Answer 4

we make an automatic dispositional inference, followed by an effortful situational correction

Question 5

Tell me about the sexual fantasies study which demonstrates Gilberts model

Answer 5

Participants asked how anxious an anxious woman is thats either being asked about sexual fantasies or world travel. World travel participants rated her as being more anxious (as the situation doesnt explain why she would be anxious). But only half di dthis when doing concurrent cognitive task, demonstrating this adjustment is effortful, not automatic.