Internal Attributes: Behavior stems from a person’s own internal traits.
External/Situational Factors: These include external influences such as weather, housing, and finances.
Neutral Judgment: Ideally, analysis of behavior should be neutral, balanced between internal and external factors.
Attribution Biases in Judging Behavior
Fundamental Attribution Error: Tendency to attribute others' behavior to internal factors more than external factors.
Impact: Leads to underestimating situational factors affecting others, e.g., blaming patients for health issues without considering socioeconomic barriers.
Actor-Observer Bias
Self-Behavior Attribution: More likely to attribute our own behavior to external factors (victims of circumstance).
Combination: Fundamental Attribution Error and the tendency to externalize our own behavior form the Actor-Observer Bias.
Cultural Influence on Attribution
Individualistic Societies: North America, Europe
Emphasis on individual achievement and independence.
Success: Over-attributed to internal factors.
Failure: Attributed to external/situational factors.
Collectivist Cultures: Africa, Asia
Focus on community and interdependence.
Success: Attributed to external factors.
Failure: Attributed to internal factors.
The Self-Serving Bias
Definition: Mechanism to protect and enhance self-esteem by attributing successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.
Prevalence: More common in individualistic societies.
Importance due to the emphasis on individual achievement and success.