. Based on the readings in your textbook (Stangor, 2010), define, in your own words, the following terms: fundamental attribution error, cognitive dissonance, and diffusion of responsibility. Provide at least one example for each of those terms. Fundamental Attribution Error The fundamental attribution error is an aspect also known as ingenuous disposition or bias of correspondence, it refers to the tendency to overestimating personal factors and to underestimate situational aspects related to others’ behavior. This is more prone to happen when we only know and appreciate some aspects of someone and not all his personality traits. In other words the fundamental attribution error can be understood as the tendency to attribute to actors the causes of their behaviors like the internal dispositional factors, instead of the situational like …show more content…
Then, at first sight the worker is seen as poor performance worker without assessing the environment in which he is trying to work. Cognitive Dissonance The cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs when we know that any decision, a belief or behavior itself is incorrect and is inconsistent with any other belief we have in this regard. The theory of cognitive dissonance proclaims that we feel uncomfortable when we have to hold contradictory beliefs or when our beliefs are not in harmony with what we do. When we realize about the discomfort we tend to reduce it by justifying our decisions. An example of cognitive dissonance may occur in the case of a soldier who should act in accordance with the orders he receives from his superiors, although in reality he does not want to carry out the ordered