Picture this. You’re in an emergency, and you don’t stop at a stop sign. What do you usually think about yourself after running the sign? Do you accuse yourself of being a rash driver? You would blame it on your emergency, right? However, if someone else did the same thing, you would most probably call them names or accuse their character. Why the disparity? Why the bias. Well, scientists say we are psychologically wired to do so.
The Fundamental Attribution Error states people overemphasise personality traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining others’ behaviour and do vice versa for themselves. This bias leads to misjudgments in daily life, affecting how we view people in personal, academic, and professional settings.
A famous experiment conducted by Jones and Harris in 1967.Participants read essays either supporting or criticizing Fidel Castro and were told that the writers were assigned their stance randomly. Despite knowing this, participants still believed the writers personally supported the positions they argued, showing how people ignore context and assume personal beliefs drive behaviour.
It’s very important to not fall for this bias as it can create a lot of bitter first impressions of great people, so do be aware of this bias.
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