|
| |
| Master
Facilitator Journal | Issue #0182, December 7, 2004 | 7,000 Subscribers... |
|
| |
Dear
friends,
Many conflicts and misunderstandings that we experience everyday
as individuals and as group leaders have to do with a very common
error in judgment called Fundamental Attribution Error. In this
week's article, "An Error in Judgment,"
we explore the cause of this error and steps we can take to help
minimize it in ourselves and in our groups.
In my recent discussions with friends, colleagues, and readers,
I've come to realize that many of you out there may be interested
in what I've learned over the past few years about building my
Internet-based Virtual University, FacilitatorU.com. And that
this information may be just what you need to get started with
your own online business. So I'm offering a 90-minute tutorial
explaining the basics of setting up an online business. Please
see details at the end of this issue. I hope you'll join me and
take that first step to putting your business online in the new
year.
If any of you have any interesting stories or experiences about facilitation,
group process, work groups, team building, training, etc. that might
interest our readers, please send
them to us.
|
|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click here for details |
170
articles and growing |
| d |
| Relating
Skill |
An Error in Judgment
Understand
and educate your groups about Fundamental
Attribution Error
|
| The
Point |
|
When you witness
someone doing something that really pushes your buttons, to what do you
attribute the cause of their action? To the character of this person,
or to the nature of his/her individual personal situation? As it turns
out, most of us jump to conclusions about the person rather than the external
factors that might contribute to their behavior.
We see an apparently homeless person on the street requesting money from
passerbys and we are likely to think things like, "Why is this person
such a loser? Why don't they just get a job like the rest of us? They
must have no self-respect at all to be doing such a thing."
It's far less likely for us to ask questions like these, "What is
it about our society that gives rise to such things? What has happened
in this unfortunate person's life to have led to this necessity?"
This is a difference in attribution that is so dominant in us that sociologists
have given it a name. They call it...
Fundamental Attribution Error
This refers to the fact that whenever people are making attributions about
an action, they tend to over-emphasize dispositional, or personality-based
explanations for behaviors observed in others, and under-emphasize the
role and power of situational influences on the same behavior. In other
words, people tend to have a default assumption that what a person does
is based more on what "kind" of person he is, rather than the
social, biological, or environmental forces at work on that person. This
default assumption leads to people sometimes making erroneous explanations
for behavior.
Why
does Fundamental Attribution Error Occur?
One theoretical view holds that the error results largely from perspective.
When we observe other people, the person
is the primary reference point. When we observe ourselves, we are more
aware of the forces acting upon us. So, attributions
for others??™ behavior are more likely to focus on the person we see, not
the situational forces we can't see that are acting upon that person.
In the parlance of psychology research, this is called salience -- more
"salient" factors are more likely to be attributed as causal.
|
| Examples |
What
do we think we know?
You are a participant in a group and you make a statement about your political
stance. Just then you turn your gaze to a person across from you who at
the same time breaks eye contact with you and looks the other way. You
immediately think this person disagrees with your views and become angry
at them. You attack them saying something like," I wish more people
in this group were more open-minded." You don't know that this person
was simply distracted by someone moving outside and was simply looking
out the window. In this lucky instance, they just so happen to come up
to you during a break and to your surprise, complement you on the very
statement you made earlier and offer their agreement.
How can we reduce the error's effects?
A number of "debiasing" techniques have been found effective
in reducing the effect of the fundamental attribution error:
- Take heed to "consensus"
information. If most people behave the same way when put in the same
situation, then the situation is more likely to be the cause of the
behavior.
- Ask yourself how
you would behave in the same situation.
- Look for unseen
causes. Since "salient" factors are usually overattributed,
look for factors you would not normally take notice of.
Related
findings
- Persons in a state
of cognitive overload are more likely to commit the fundamental attribution
error.
- There is some evidence
to support the contention that cultures which tend to emphasize the
individual over the group ("individualistic" cultures) tend
to make more dispositional attributions than do the "collectivist"
cultures. Persons living in more individualistic societies may be more
likely to commit the fundamental attribution error.
Each of us might more
readily note this about ourselves: our character isn't stable.
It seems consistent because of our control over our environments. We will
do well to give others the benefit of any doubt about the supposed cause
of their behaviors.
|
| Action |
| |
| What
will you do differently, or ask of your groups to minimize fundamental attribution
error?
Please send
us your comments. |
| |
|
Job
Opportunities |
FacilitatorU.com
is looking to fill a couple commission-based volunteer positions. These
could be great opportunities for you if you're Internet savvy, have a strong
network, and work well independently. Please review these positions for
your own interest and also feel free to pass them along to any friends or
associates whom you think may be interested. Click
here to review details of these positions.
|
![]() |
| In
the Spotlight |
| A
"Behind the Scenes" Look at FacilitatorU.com
![]() A
90-minute teleclass for the "would-be" Infopreneur
explaining the nuts and bolts of building an Internet business
December
16th, at 1:00PM EST (NY Time).
Hosted by Steve Davis, Founder of FacilitatorU.com |
A
90-Minute Teleclass Tutorial
In
my recent discussions with friends, colleagues, and readers, I've
come to realize that many of you out there may be interested in
what I've learned over the past few years about building my Internet-based
Virtual University, FacilitatorU.com. And that this information
may be just what you need to get started with your own online business.
Perhaps many
elements of Internet business like accepting payments online, the
difference between a merchant accounts and payment gateways, how
to record and stream teleclasses and interviews, how to design an
html ezine, how to select a shopping cart, how to register a domain
name, basics of web hosting, etc. are a mystery to you and are stopping
you from moving forward. During this class I hope to demystify these
things for you and support you in taking action.
Automate Your Sales Process
This
teleclass will be held December
16th, at 1:00PM EST (NY Time). Here
are some of the things you'll learn from this teleclass:
- The scoop
on domain name registration and directing
it to your host.
- The basics
of web hosting and what you need to know about selecting
one.
- How to decide
the best way of accepting online payments for
you.
- The difference
between PayPal, ClickBank, and Shopping
Carts, how each of them work, and how much they cost
you.
- What features
you need to make sure any payment processor or shopping
cart has before you sign up with them.
- The difference
between a merchant account and a payment
gateway, and how they work with your shopping cart.
- Make
more sales by discovering which payment methods
are easiest for your customers.
- How to accept
payments in more than one way on your website
(e.g. credit card and e-check).
- Learn about
the security aspects of online payments.
- How to record
and stream teleclasses to generate passive income.
- How I design
and publish my html ezine, the Master Facilitator Journal.
90-Minute Audio Recording of the Live Teleseminar, Written Notes,
and More
Five
Free Bonuses!
1.Real
Audio Recording of the Teleclass. You'll be able
to access a real-audio recording as often as you wish to review
the material. Or, if you can't make the class live, this is the
next best thing.
2.
Written Notes. You'll receive
a pdf file of the written notes I use to conduct the teleclass.
3.
Resources List. You'll receive a collection of
vendors and online resources I use that will help save you time
getting your business up and running.
4.
30-minute Free Consultation ($100 value). A
free coaching/consulting call with me to discuss your particular
needs and the development of a simple action plan to get you started
with your Internet business.
5.
20% Coupon ($50 to $200 Value) for my Web Services. Receive
20% off my web and ezine design and consulting services should you
choose to have me design your web presence.
Purchase Info
Live
Teleclass + Real
Audio Version + bonuses ($29.95)
![]()
Sign up for this live teleclass and get the chance to interact with
the instructor asking questions you have about the topic.
![]()
Can't make the class? No problem. After the class, we'll email you
the link to a real-audio recording of the seminar to listen to on
your computer at your leisure. Or order the CD version below to
listen to anywhere.
![]()
You'll also receive access to written notes summarizing the highlights
of the class for future reference along with all the bonuses listed
above.
![]()
Click Here to Purchase Live
Teleclass +Real Audio + bonuses:
$29.95
Live
Teleclass +Real
Audio + bonuses + Compact Disk
($34.95)
![]()
Receive all of the above plus a Compact Disk recording of the seminar
in the mail that you can listen to at your leisure.
![]() Click
Here to Purchase Live
Teleclass +Real
Audio + bonuses +CD:
$34.95 +
s&h
Satisfaction
Guaranteed
If, for any reason, you are not satisfied with this teleclass, simply
email us with a request to refund/credit your credit card in the
full amount and we will do so immediately. It's our policy to do
this and we honor this in every single case.
|
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
|
|
Master Facilitator Journal Web Site
Feature Article: Errors
in Judgment