Attribution Errors - Longley

Attributional errors

One type of attributional error is the self-serving bias. A self-serving bias is any cognitive or perceptual process that is distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem. (Wikipedia) People often attribute external factors such as weather, feeling ill, or bad luck as the reasons why they performed poorly. They instead focus on their achievements, and how their achievements can be attributed to internal features, such as how smart or athletic they are.

I am often finding myself fall victim to the self-serving bias for almost anything I fail, or even succeed at. For example I just failed my last Spanish test, and easily made the problem anything but my own fault. “I failed because the class is online, and you can’t learn a language that way. I failed because the test was too wordy, poorly constructed, and not what we were told to study.” This is how I attempt to justify my own short comings by blaming them on external factors, instead of recognizing that I didn’t study enough. This also works the other way. If I were to win a race I would say, “It’s because I have trained so hard”. I wouldn’t be the first to point out the fact that my closest competitor had a sprained ankle, or that I was only racing three people. So self-serving bias works two ways, as long as the way the situation is being perceived is benefitting the perceiver.  So maybe it is in human nature to have a self-serving, and I’m not egotistical at all. After all it’s not my fault I am this way, it is society’s fault, right?

The Fundamental attribution error, is very similar to the self-serving bias, except it focuses on other people in a negative way. Fundamental attribution error is when people over emphasize internal attributions to other peoples behaviors, and under emphasize the effect of external attributions. An example would be to say that, the only reason that this person is successful is because of their rich father. It has nothing to do with that fact they worked hard all through college and made themselves independently successful.

In my life I again fall victim to making fundamental attribution errors. Using the race example again, if I were to lose that race I would quickly say the reason he is successful is because he has nothing better to do all day then to train for a race. I wouldn’t be likely to give him credit as being a talented athlete whom, works full time, more motivated, and a better runner than I am. My tendency to belittle his accomplishments, and blame external features having nothing to do with himself as the cause for his success, is a fundamental attribution error.

I wrote my blog on these topics, because they absolutely do apply to my life. It is important to recognize other people’s success as a reflection of their own effort, independently achieved, and without the help of external factors. It is also good sometimes realize you are not as great as you think you are, and making excuses for yourself won’t make you any better. You never know when you may fall victim to making am attributional error about yourself or someone else.