As you recall, behavior can be influenced by both the person and the situation. For this assignment, we are focused on causal attributions- the process of trying to determine the cause of people’s behavior. Making a causal attribution can be a bit like conducting a social psychology experiment- we observe a person(s) we are interested in, record their behavior, draw conclusions, and note any limitations. As a “social psychologist in training” it is your job to determine which of these two causes (dispositional or situational) more strongly determined the behavior. You will need to complete BOTH parts below.
PART 1 (DATA COLLECTION):
You will need to identify a total of FIVE different targets (people) to observe- it would be best if you could try and balance it between people that you know well (i.e., friend, family member, co-worker, etc.) and those that you do not (i.e., stranger, acquaintance, etc.). You do not need to announce that you are observing them, and your observation does not need to be long- it can just be a quick snapshot of their behavior in a particular situation/circumstance. For each target person (five total), you will need to identify the following:
Who did you observe (i.e., roommate, cashier, coworker, sales associate, mother, etc.- you don’t need to include their specific name)? If it was a someone you didn’t already know, also mention what you noticed first about them (i.e., physical feature(s), social category membership(s), and trait(s)).
What was the setting/situation?
What was the target person’s behavior that you observed?
What was your initial attribution? Would you label this as dispositional or situational?
What are the limitations in your observation/are there any alternative attributions that you could have made?
Now, I want you to do the same with yourself for two recent situations (i.e., I arrived late to work, I yelled at my kid, I complimented a friend on their sunglasses, etc.) For each situation, answer the same four items above that you completed when observing others.
*If it is easier for you to record this all in a table, you can do so
PART 2 (ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTED):
I want you to think about the data that you collected and write a reflection (at least 250 words) that connects to some of the content you read this week in your textbook about perceiving others (chapter 5). For instance, you might consider answering some of the following questions:
Were there differences in the types of attributions you made for yourself vs. others? How about others that you know vs. strangers? Why?
When is it easier to make a personal attribution? Situational attribution?
Explain what biases occurred (or could occur) when you make attributions (i.e., fundamental attribution error, actor-observer bias, trait ascription bias, self-serving bias). Why did they occur?
Did the covariation principle explain the type of attribution that you made about any of your targets? Describe the type of information that you used (i.e., consistency, distinctiveness, consensus).
Was there any specific nonverbal behavior(s) that you relied on more heavily when making a particular attribution?
If you were to have engaged in the same behaviors as your targets, would any of your attributions be different? Explain.
