In Chapter 5 of our textbook, the authors discuss the concept of attribution, which they define as “an explanation of an observed behavior.”

ENGL510 Foundations of Professional Communication

Week 3 Discussion

Perspectives and Perceptions

In Chapter 5 of our textbook, the authors discuss the concept of attribution, which they define as “an explanation of an observed behavior.” According to the authors, we often use heuristics, or mental shortcuts, to help explain the behavior of others. The problem is that these shortcuts often lead us to make mistakes. The two most common attribution errors are

the self-serving bias; and

the fundamental attribution error.

The self-serving bias is our tendency to attribute our successes to internal causes and our failures to external causes. An example of the self-serving bias is to take credit for a good grade in one class while blaming the instructor for a poor grade in another class. The fundamental attribution error refers to the way people tend to attribute other people’s actions to internal rather than external factors. For instance, when a friend or colleague is unusually abrupt or curt with us, we might assume that he or she is upset or annoyed at us, but the real reason might be a tight deadline at work or an unexpected problem at home.

For your initial post, think of a time in your own life when you may have been guilty of either the self-serving bias or the fundamental attribution error. Looking back at it, what did you learn? In your follow-up posts, provide helpful feedback to your fellow students.

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