Bias (Psychology)

Bias comes in many forms. It can come from the history books one reads in class in regard to ethnocentrism and political views. It can also come from the media, where journalist and certain networks chose which and how events are to be covered. Some biases attempt to persuade others to view things in the likeness of the writer, presenter, etc. Many times the bias is not completely noticeable and this can be dangerous especially to students who do not have other information to check or balance what they are learning.

            In psychology, we learned about biases in regard to the attribution theory. The attribution theory is how people attribute events and others. Actor-Observer bias is a bias that a lot of people have because they find it necessary to shield themselves of blame while allowing others to be responsible for their own outcomes. For example, if Susie doesn’t win her race, she may have the following responses as to why:

·         My coach didn’t prepare me. 

·         It was extremely humid outside; I can’t run well in that weather.

·         The ground wasn’t even and made my legs hurt.

However, if Susie did win her race and her best friend Chris did not win the race Susie may give the following reasons as to why:

·         He didn’t practice.

·         He didn’t stretch enough to perform well. 

·         He is a horrible runner.

When Susie was speaking about herself, the problem wasn’t her it was the circumstances around her and the actions of others however, when it wasn’t her it was the dispositional factors of that person. This type of bias can be detrimental to any type of relationship because someone else is always being blamed for ones mistakes.  This bias also deals with perception of others because this bias is usually a tool used for someone that one doesn’t particularly know. This can be seen in American politics. When one (in the political system) speaks about a congressman, congresswoman, or the president they may say that the reason relations with another country fell through was because that person wasn’t adequate for the job, wasn’t smart enough to build a relationship, acted in a way that offended the government of the other country, etc. The blame is placed on the person- dispositional – and the situational factors are not taken into account. If that person were the one responsible for that same job they may say that the other government has policies that aren’t flexible, etc. This bias can “rub” people the wrong way because it then seems as though the person can’t take responsibility for their own actions and that they make excuses for the things they are incompetent to do.