Psychology, 5/e   Wortman, Loftus & Weaver
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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Could you provide a popular, real-world example of the Fundamental Attribution Error?

One common example would be how we interact with a friend who fails an important test.. We are likely to attribute this failing to some disposition attribute--this person doesn’t have good study habits, can’t handle the pressure of taking an exam, or isn’t very intelligent. We tend to discount any situational factors: they were ill for a few days before the test, or had car trouble the morning of the exam and arrived 20 minutes late.

An aside: something similar happens when assigning attributions for our own behavior. In our case, however, we tend to explain our SUCCESS with dispositional attributions, but rationalize our FAILURES by assigning blame to situational factors. Consistent with this, students will often say they “earned” an “A” but were “given” a “D.”

2. How can sexual and racial discrimination be reduced in the workplace?

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. These factors might help:

• Integrate work environments at all levels. We tend to view those with whom we are familiar in a more positive light.
• Periodically evaluate recent hiring decisions. We are unlikely to notice discrimination in just a few cases, but if hiring and promotion over time show a clear pattern of discrimination, the process should be scrutinized.
• Encourage performance-based, rather than race/gender-based, hiring and promotion. Discrimination and reverse-discrimination will likely engender dissatisfaction among all workers.

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