![]() ![]() Explanations for the same behaviors diverge, depending on whether an actor or observer. By contrast, if they are outsiders, observers, there is a blindness to situational pressures that actors experience. If they are “inside” the action to be explained (as the actor) their actions are in response external (to them) situational factors. How people explain events depends on perspective. Actor/Observer Bias: This bias is called the Fundamental Attribution Error and is the one most relevant to bullying.But as you see above, explanations for success are gendered. We tend to blame failure on External causes, i.e., test was unfair or poorly constructed. Success/Failure Bias: Internal explanations are preferred for success (taking personal credit). ![]() Gender Bias: Research shows that both women and men explain men’s success from Internal causes (smart, hard working) while women’s success - whose situation is exactly the same as the men described - is explained by External causes (inheritance make success inevitable, affirmative action to promote women-owned business). ![]() It’s good to take credit for success.ģ Biases in the Attribution (Explanatory) Process A person with positive mental health is likely to demonstrate the success/failure bias. It is internal, but brilliance is stronger praise considering its stability. Studying hard is less constant (thus variable) and considered effort. Internal, stable causes are the most personalized delivering the most credit (if the outcome is positive, otherwise it brings the most scrutiny and blame). To claim brilliance is to describe a personal trait that is considered permanent (a stable characteristic). Why you did so well on a test? You say you studied hard. You can illustrate the Success/Failure Bias with an example. The key fact from the research is that the successes of both men and women can be factually identical, yet the explanations (attributions) differ, favoring men. Over time, the discounting of women has normalized the undercutting (externalizing) of how American society explains women’s success. Simultaneously, men get too much credit for being personally responsible (internal causes). Choosing situational (external) explanations discounts women’s accomplishments. The women leaders of We’ve Got Her Back rightly ask why there is a different standard to explain men and women’s accomplishments and successes. There are two Internal and two External groups, each paired with Stable and Variable causes. Over the years, researchers settled on four categories into which all explanations can be fit. Psychologists call this the attribution (assignment) of responsibility for events. Whenever we ask people to explain why events happen, we are asking for their version of reasons, explanations, causes. Allow me to describe Causal Attribution theory as briefly as I can. ![]()
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