Reference no: EM133276721

Attribution: The Problem With Target-Based Inferences, and, to a lesser degree, Stereotyping: The Problem with Category-Based Inferences (this latter section offers possible reasons people may be prone to making attributions based on another's category). The heart of this: how we view others, how we explain their behaviors.

Question 1. Define in yown "Attributions" and the "Fundamental Attribution Error" (including dispositional and situational attributions, and the actor-observer effect).

Question 2 Application of Attribution Concepts"

Provide yown example illustrating this attribution error.
Apply the terms you've just defined in paragraph one, and draw further from the concepts and findings in our text as applicable to your example.
Define the terms you apply in yown words.
Give specific, concrete detail on your example/illustration to clearly demonstrate how the concepts apply.
Your example may be personal, but it needn't be. There's plenty in the public sphere to draw from. Choose an example from the broader social sphere if you like, consulting the final paragraphs in this section of our book. The implications for social class, racial/ethnic and national conflicts are rich.
Choose an example that demonstrates an important failure to understand another - individual, group or national.

3."Reasons for the Error."

Explore reasons this error may have occurred. You have some rein here.
How about enduring factors, like beliefs or attitudes? Is one prone to making one type of attribution as opposed to another? How so?
Might stereotyping be going on? If so, how? You can consider reasons inaccurate stereotypes can occur.
How about temporary physical or emotional states have contributed to the person making one specific type of attribution? (You have some free rein here, as our text doesn't say much about this.)
Use the covariation model if it fits.
Something else? How? Free-ranging speculation is encouraged. This too invites you to explore beyond text.

4"Why this Matters"

Make a case for why this topic matters for effective and ethical human functioning. Consider:

Interpersonal functioning - why this may matter to the individuals involved. Illustrate with specific detail.

The broader social sphere - how and why mistakes we make in our attributions of others' behaviors may play out on a broader social scale - as in our interactions with others those not in our group. Why does this matter for society?