Editing Attribution bias (section)

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{{Short description|Systematic errors made when people evaluate their own and others' behaviors}}
In [[psychology]], an '''attribution bias''' or '''attributional errors''' is a [[cognitive bias]] that refers to the [[Systematic error|systematic errors]] made when people evaluate or try to find reasons for their own and others' behaviors.<ref name="Heider">{{cite book|last=Heider|first=F.|date=1958|title=The psychology of interpersonal relations|location=New York|publisher=Wiley|page= 322}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Abramson | first1 = L.Y. | last2 = Seligman | first2 = M.E. | last3 = Teasdale | first3 = J.D. | s2cid = 2845204 | year = 1978 | title = Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation | journal = Journal of Abnormal Psychology | volume = 87 | issue = 1| pages = 49–74 | doi = 10.1037/0021-843X.87.1.49 | pmid=649856}}</ref> It refers to the systematic patterns of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, often leading to perceptual distortions, inaccurate assessments, or illogical interpretations of events and behaviors.<ref name="Kelley 1967">Kelley, H.H. (1967). Attribution theory in social psychology. In D. Levine (Ed.) ''Nebraska Symposium on Motivation'', Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press</ref>

[[Attribution (psychology)|Attributions]] are the judgments and assumptions people make about why others behave a certain way. However, these judgments may not always reflect the true situation. Instead of being completely objective, people often make errors in perception that lead to skewed interpretations of social situations.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Funder | first1 = D.C. | s2cid = 16095191 | year = 1987 | title = Errors and mistakes: Evaluating the accuracy of social judgment | journal = Psychological Bulletin | volume = 101 | issue = 1| pages = 75–90 | doi = 10.1037/0033-2909.101.1.75 | pmid = 3562704 }}</ref><ref name="Nisbett and Ross 1980">Nisbett, R.E. & Ross, L. (1980). ''Human inference: Strategies and shortcomings of social judgment'', Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.</ref> Attribution biases are present in everyday life. For example, when a driver cuts someone off, the person who has been cut off is often more likely to attribute blame to the reckless driver's inherent personality traits (e.g., "That driver is rude and incompetent") rather than situational circumstances (e.g., "That driver may have been late to work and was not paying attention"). 

Additionally, there are many different [[#List of attribution biases|types]] of attribution biases, such as the [[ultimate attribution error]], [[#Fundamental attribution error|fundamental attribution error]], [[#Actor-observer bias|actor-observer bias]], and [[#Hostile attribution bias|hostile attribution bias]]. Each of these biases describes a specific tendency that people exhibit when reasoning about the cause of different behaviors.<ref name="Kelley 1967" />

This field of study helps to understand how people make sense of their own and others' actions. It also shows us how our preconceptions and mental shortcuts can impact our decision-making. Researchers have delved deeper into these biases and explored how they influence emotions and actions.<ref name="Jones and Nisbett 1971">Jones, E.. & Nisbett, R.E. (1971). ''The actor and the observer: Divergent perceptions of the causes of behaviors.'' New York: General Learning Press.</ref><ref name="Crick and Dodge 1996">{{cite journal | last1 = Crick | first1 = N.R. | last2 = Dodge | first2 = K.A. | year = 1996 | title = Social information-processing mechanisms in reactive and proactive aggression | journal = Child Development | volume = 67 | issue = 3| pages = 993–1002 | doi = 10.2307/1131875 | pmid = 8706540 | jstor = 1131875 }}</ref><ref name="Camodeca 2003">{{cite journal | last1 = Camodeca | first1 = M. | last2 = Goossens | first2 = F.A. | last3 = Schuengel | first3 = C. | last4 = Terwogt | first4 = M.M. | year = 2003 | title = Links between social informative processing in middle childhood and involvement in bullying | url = https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/1907280/Camodeca%20Aggressive%20Behavior%2029%202003%20u.pdf| journal = Aggressive Behavior | volume = 29 | issue = 2| pages = 116–127 | doi = 10.1002/ab.10043 }}</ref><ref name="Jones and Davis 1965">{{Cite book | doi=10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60107-0 |chapter = From Acts to Dispositions: The Attribution Process in Person Perception|volume = 2|pages = 219–266|title = Advances in Experimental Social Psychology|year = 1965|last1 = Jones|first1 = Edward E.|last2 = Davis|first2 = Keith E.|isbn = 9780120152025|editor-last=Berkowitz |editor-first=Leonard }}</ref>