Attribution bias

Overview

Attribution bias refers to systematic distortions that happen when we guess the causes of other people's behavior. A well-known example is the "fundamental attribution error." This is the tendency, when explaining someone else's behavior, to underestimate situational factors (they were busy, they weren't feeling well) and overestimate personality factors (they're cold, they're lazy). Social psychologist Lee Ross named it in 1977.

Attribution bias in a question box

Attribution bias happens in question boxes too. You sent a question, but there's no answer. In that moment, you may read it as "they ignored my question" (blaming personality) rather than "maybe they're busy" (blaming the situation).

When an answer is short, you think "they're cold." In reality, they may just not have had time. When an answer sounds stiff, you think "they're angry." In reality, that may just be how they normally write. Not being able to see the situation in text is also one reason we blame personality.

Easing attribution bias

You can't get rid of attribution bias completely, but being aware of it is a first step toward reducing its effect. When something about the other person's behavior in a question box feels off, pause once to think "maybe it's the situation" before deciding "it's their personality."

The answer is slow because they're busy. The answer is short because they don't have time. There's no answer because they missed it. It's worth getting into the habit of considering the most generous interpretation first. Imagine that there may be circumstances you can't see behind the other person's behavior. That kind of imagination is a remedy for attribution bias.