Attribution and Person Perception

(1) Introducing The Fundamental Attribution Error

Modality: Face-to-face with online content
Goal(s): Demonstrate fundamental attribution error
Description/Instructions: Have students watch a video (of your choice) with a person demonstrating some distinct actions or behaviors. Then, ask your students to write or discuss why the person is doing what the person is doing. Most students will learn toward a dispositional explanation of the persons behavior behavior. Then explain the situation which may have caused the behavior to occur.

Materials Needed: Video Clip

(2) Fundamental Attribution Error Activity/Person Perception Activity

Modality: Face-to-face; in and out of class activity
Goal(s): Demonstrate through experiential learning the fundamentalism of the fundamental attribution error.
Description/Instructions: This activity is one your students can complete with members of their class or using students from another class.

Materials Needed:

First, ask students to identify someone who they might have automatic reactions to based on the way this person acts, dresses, etc.
Ask students to list what they believe this identified student's typical behaviors are and to describe any assumptions about this individual.
Choose three of the assumption/behaviors which you would like to learn more about.
Over the next two weeks, spend some time getting to know the person you identified.
Prepare a written paper describing whether your assumptions correct? Describe why you had assumed what you assumed and whether your assumption changed.
Describe your experience in term of the fundamental Attribution Error

(3) Demonstrating the Actor/Observer Bias

Modality: Face-to-face
Goal(s): Demonstrate and discuss the actor observer bias in attribution
Description/Instructions: After the first exam, ask students complete worksheet (# to be added). This sheet contains questions about what their grade was on the first exam, and why they received the grade they did. They are also asked to report the grade of a friend and then write why the friend received their grade. Later in the course, when discussing actor observer biases, use the responses to demonstrate to the class that those students who earned a high grade tend to attribute their success to a personal attribution (e.g., I studied hard, I am good at this stuff, etc.) and those earning poor grades tend to attribute their failure to situational factors (e.g., I did not have time to study, we did not cover all the materials in class, etc.). Next, read student’s responses about their friend’s grade and the explanations to further demonstrate actor observer biases.

Materials Needed: Worksheet # …

1. Source: Grant Corser (I think I modified this idea from the Aronson, Wilson, and Akert IR manual)
2. Source: Nick Marsing (A student suggestion)
3. Source: Grant Corser (based on a teaching of psychology course taught by Ken Sufka)

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