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Related Concept Videos

Fundamental Attribution Error01:14

Fundamental Attribution Error

According to some social psychologists, people tend to overemphasize internal factors as explanations—or attributions—for the behavior of other people. They tend to assume that the behavior of another person is a trait of that person, and to underestimate the power of the situation on the behavior of others. They tend to fail to recognize when the behavior of another is due to situational variables, and thus to the person’s state. This erroneous assumption is called the fundamental attribution...
Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory01:29

Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory

Attribution theory plays a crucial role in social psychology, helping to explain how individuals interpret the causes of behavior. One prominent model within this field is Harold Kelley's covariation theory, which provides a systematic approach to determining whether internal traits or external circumstances drive a person's actions. The model posits that individuals rely on three key types of information—consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness—to make these judgments.Consensus: Comparing...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping02:05

Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about the way you...
Motivational Bias01:25

Motivational Bias

Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
Correspondence Bias01:17

Correspondence Bias

Correspondence bias, also referred to as the fundamental attribution error, describes the tendency to attribute another person’s behavior to internal characteristics rather than situational influences. This cognitive bias leads individuals to overlook external factors that may be influencing actions, thereby fostering potentially inaccurate assessments of others’ intentions and dispositions.Empirical Evidence for Correspondence BiasResearch has consistently demonstrated the prevalence of...
Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory01:15

Theory of Attribution I: Correspondent Inference Theory

Correspondent inference theory, proposed by Jones and Davis in 1965, seeks to explain how individuals infer stable personality traits from observed behaviors. It suggests that people attribute actions to underlying dispositions rather than external circumstances, particularly when the behavior appears intentional and socially significant.Voluntary Behavior and Dispositional AttributionAccording to this theory, individuals are more likely to attribute behavior to personal traits when it appears...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Inflated applicants: attribution errors in performance evaluation by professionals.

Samuel A Swift1, Don A Moore, Zachariah S Sharek

  • 1Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America. samswift@alumni.cmu.edu

Plos One
|July 30, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Decision-makers often overlook situational factors, overemphasizing disposition. This bias leads to favoring candidates with easier-achieved successes, impacting selection and promotion decisions.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2026

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Decision Science

Background:

  • The correspondence bias describes the tendency to overemphasize dispositional explanations for others' behaviors while underestimating situational influences.
  • This cognitive bias is prevalent in everyday attributions and can extend to professional decision-making contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether experienced professionals exhibit systematic errors in selection decisions due to the correspondence bias.
  • To examine if favorable situational factors are overvalued in assessing candidates' abilities and performance.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted archival studies analyzing selection and promotion data.
  • Performed experiments involving experienced professionals making personnel and admissions decisions.

Main Results:

  • Candidates benefiting from favorable situations (e.g., high-grade institutions, forgiving business environments) were disproportionately admitted and promoted.
  • Decision-makers equated high nominal performance with high ability, failing to discount for the ease of achievement.
  • Equivalently skilled peers with less favorable situational advantages were less likely to be selected or promoted.

Conclusions:

  • The correspondence bias significantly impacts professional selection and promotion practices, leading to systematic errors.
  • Decision-makers need to actively account for situational and structural factors when evaluating performance to mitigate bias.
  • Findings have critical implications for improving fairness and accuracy in admissions and personnel selection.