Making Attributions Think about how you would explain the following actions. In

Question

Making Attributions Think about how you would explain the following actions. In each scenario, an event is described. Use the events below to answer the questions: The Events

A. In event #1, imagine Karla is someone you very much dislike. What are some possible causes for “your enemy Karla” to receive an F on her paper?

B. In event #2, imagine Tim is someone you very much dislike. What are some possible causes for “your enemy Tim” to receive an A on his project?

Part 2: Review your answers Review the answers you wrote for A-B. We did not have much information about the student, the class, the assignment, or how other classmates performed on the assignments. For Part 2, summarize your biases in judging the events. Then describe how your emotions about the student might have influenced the attributions you made about his / her performance in class.

Explanation / Answer

Attributions are internal and external. Internal attribution is a situation when people judge an event or person's behavior using internal factors or traits. External attribution is a situation when people infer other's behavior due to situational factors. Now, our attribution can be judgemental or biased based on the personal traits or perceptions we have about a person. Given this background, I am sharing responses to Part 1 and 2 together.

A) In situation A, I dislike Karla and I would say she deserves it because she is not intelligent and doesn't work hard. I will make an internal attribution and would not consider any situational factors such as - the assignment was tough, half of the class got an F or Karla has been sick for quite a while. All the factors for her failure would be related to her behavior. To sum it up, my behavior towards Karla would be biased and I will attribute her failure to all the problems I have with her or associated with her. There will be no regards given to the situation or state Karla was in.

B) In situation B, I dislike Tim, however, I would not give credit to his personal behaviors like - he worked hard, or he is intelligent, he is smart to get an A etc. Tim succeeded in getting an A because the assignment was easy and the professor did a lenient marking. I will be biased towards Tim and not give him any credit for his hard work. All the factors for his success would be situational.

In both the situations, I would commit the fundamental error of attribution wherein our opinions about an event related to a person are biased based on our personal standing with the person.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse M
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.