actor observer bias vs fundamental attribution error

#Actor observer bias vs fundamental attribution error how to

This will help balance out your perspective and can help you view your co-worker as a whole person instead of through the lens of a single negative quality.Īnother method is to practice becoming more emotionally intelligent. When you become resentful at someone for a bad 'quality' they demonstrate, try to make a list of five positive qualities the person also exhibits. One tool that can be helpful in combating FAE is gratitude.

The fundamental attribution error is so prevalent because it's rooted in psychology, so completely overcoming it can be difficult. How often have you really tried to understand the situational factors that could be affecting this person's work? Probably not often. Think of the last time you thought a co-worker should be fired or a customer service representative was incompetent.

#Actor observer bias vs fundamental attribution error how to

How to Avoid the Fundamental Attribution Error Unless the opportunity arises for you to get to know your employee better, you may always view her in a negative light. Now that you perceive this person as 'lazy,' your opinions of her may begin to shift over time. In action, forming impressions of a person's character based on limited information can have long-lasting effects. For instance, any number of situational factors could have caused her to run behind schedule, such as a family emergency or traffic jam, which have nothing to do with the quality of her character. It's possible, however, that her behavior is due to several external, rather than internal, factors. In fact, it's at the root of any misunderstanding in which human motivations have the potential to be misinterpreted.įor example, think back to the 'lazy employee.' Since she was late to an important meeting, you might be inclined to form a judgment of her character based on this one action alone. Within organizations, FAE can cause everything from arguments to firings and ruptures in organizational culture. While it would be nice to give them the benefit of the doubt, your brain tends to use limited information to make judgments. In working with your colleagues, for example, you probably form a general impression of their character based on pieces of a situation, but never see the whole picture.

Whether you're an employee or manager, cognitive biases, like the FAE, can play a role in how you interact with others in the workplace and how you make key business decisions. It's clear to see how the fundamental attribution error (FAE) can impact your personal life, but it's important to recognize the influence it can have on your work, as well. Similar to confirmation and overconfidence biases, its impact on business and life can be reduced by taking several measures. While you have at least some idea of your character, motivations, and situational factors that affect your day-to-day, you rarely know everything that's going on with someone else. The fundamental attribution error exists because of how people perceive the world. In other words, you tend to cut yourself a break while holding others 100 percent accountable for their actions.įor instance, if you've ever chastised a 'lazy employee' for being late to a meeting and then proceeded to make an excuse for being late yourself that same day, you've made the fundamental attribution error. The fundamental attribution error refers to an individual's tendency to attribute another's actions to their character or personality, while attributing their behavior to external situational factors outside of their control. What Is the Fundamental Attribution Error? In the world of business, understanding these biases and becoming aware of the ways that they influence your behavior is vital to becoming a better manager. But the most important, and troubling, error that professionals tend to make in their thinking may be the fundamental attribution error.Ĭognitive biases such as these often shape how an individual interacts with the world around them. Many cognitive biases affect humans and their everyday actions, like confirmation bias and overconfidence. If you walk into the Psychology section of Barnes of Noble today or browse Amazon for 'decision-making,' you're sure to see a library of books about how irrational humans can be. There's been a lot written about cognitive biases in the last decade.