Errors on a Gross Scale

A big phrase which simply means that 'we assume too much' and consequently come to a lot of wrong conclusions.

* At work

* At home

* With spouses, friends, and especially strangers.

Our minds filter out data that is not helpful to us during each moment, otherwise, we would be bogged down in details.

Our minds classify things into certain associations and these are part of what helps 'attribution' work. We see 'similar objects' or take in data from various senses, then attribute these experiences into associations, giving them valuess and classifications that we are most familiar with. This helps with rapid retrieval and memory later on. The more things we associate into a given 'type' of experience, the quicker we will often judge a situation that contains certain common elements.

This sounds really complicated - but our minds just work this way, so we don't have to think about it. Thank goodness, because the process really is quite involved, but RAPID!

The way that our minds classify information is FAST, natural, and so are 'attribution errors.'

Here's an example:

You walk into an empty street during the night and the only person you see is a very large man, with his hands in his pockets, hunched down, walking rather slowly toward you.

Your mind already has 'classifications' and 'associations' with 'large man' 'hunched down' and the other things that your senses are taking in about the man you see in the otherwise empty street at night. Your senses already realize that you're out at night and previous experience with night time informs your subconscious further - that night is not the safest time in the world to encounter a large man, hunched down, hands in pockets, who is walking slowly toward you.

Your reaction, based on your mind's associations with this data will probably be to become frightened and walk (even RUN) quickly away from the man. The man would represent a danger (that we might have experienced before, might have seen on TV or anything).

Quite naturally, if you go with the associations you are more familiar with - it really is a good idea to run away and get to a safer location where you're away from the man and near more people.

However, if your 'attributions' and 'associations' about the man are INCORRECT - and they have a very, VERY high chance of being incorrect, then you may have made an attribution error and judged the man, the situation, and your internal associations ALL WRONG.

If it is cold out - it is natural and reasonable that the man has his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. It is also natural and reasonable that the man walks somewhat hunched over, if he is quite chilled - it is a completely natural physiological body reaction when we're cold, to hunch over. From this, our body will make physical 'shivering' actions designed to help us generate heat and stay as warm as possible. The man may be walking slowly because you startled him when you approached on the sidewalk, on an otherwise empty street.

A FUNDAMENTAL THING YOU HAVE LIKELY IGNORED is that the man was obviously walking toward you before you ever appeared! In the 'fright' reaction, your mind will automatically IGNORE THIS VERY IMPORTANT FACT that is a very basic, simple thing. This fact doesn't FIT with the other associations and things that you rapidly assumed about the situation, so it is literally NOT PRESENT as a consideration. You mind just wipes out the 'reasonable fact,' so it can continue with the 'fright response.'

In reality, it is very possible that you startled the man and frightened him, as well - this could easily explain the 'pace' that you see from the man - that he is walking slowly. (Another thing that WILL NOT FIT with your 'fright response' and associations, so this is 'deleted' from the experience and 'assessment of your situtation)/

Likely, you won't make the latter associations with the situation and you'll go home and tell people that you came home early because there was a 'strange looking guy' on the streets who was walking in a 'suspicious manner' and you thought it safer to return home and stay in for the rest of the night.

F.A.E.s (F.undamental A.ttribution E.rrors) are exremely IMPORTANT in many cases and situations.

The above example with 'you' meeting up with the large man on an empty street at night is still a good example to stick with.

If you ARE frightened, it is best to get away from the man. You wouldn't want to make a 'deliberate and reasoned' mistake in this situation - by stopping to ask the man, "Are you cold and is that why your hands are in your pockets, your gait, slowed, and why you're hunched over while walking? Oh, and did I startled you?"

There is a possibility that the man is not a danger to you - but there is also a chance that the man is dangerous. FAE works in your favour in this situation, to keep you safe.

If the man is NOT any kind of threat to you, then FAE has kept you safe, regardless, and you don't have much to worry about...

...UNLESS - you continue on with your FAE in telling the story later...

Example: If you do run home and have to explain why you came home early, then NOW IS THE TIME to assess the situation with REASON IN CHARGE instead of FAE and the 'fright response' in charge.

Instead of "I came across a large, scary man who was acting suspicious," it is better to admit, "I reacted this evening and came home after seeing a large man with his hands in-pocket, hunched while walking slowly." You can add, "Maybe the man was no danger at all, but I reacted and am safe, glad to be home now."

Fundamental Attribution Errors do INCREDIBLE damage in society.

FAEs create stereotyping within us and we rarely take the time to go back over our experiences and validate that WE REACTED, according to out emotions and past experiences.

Instead, we often recall the situations we experience and INGRAIN the details that we're comfortable with - which are often 'erroneous' and are based on our emotions and not on facts.

This happens when we 'assume' things about other people - then spread that 'erroneous' information to others. For instance, if 'you' didn't take the steps to dispell the fear and re-think the experience you had during your encounter with the 'large, hands-in-pocket, hunched over, walking slowly man,' then you could actually 'retell a wrong story' about the experience and 'attribute' your emotional reaction onto the version of story as if it is fact. Then anyone you tell the story to will likely believe that you had an encounter with a dangerous man on the street!

I keep mentioning and keeping to this example because it is so common. Probably everyone has been in this situation before and also made the very same FAE's, then retold a story about being frightened...only we represent out version of story as 'how it really was,' when really....

"according to my limited knowledge of that man - and possible Fundamental Attribution Errors on top of this, I had an experience that I cannot fully explain but I dediced to return home because I was frightened and wanted to feel safe again."

In all probability - a situation like this will probably never be fully explained. Rather - all of the characteristics about 'the large man' will probably never be fully known to you. Consequently, if you refer to him as any kind of 'dangerous' or 'scary,' then you have made those parts up. What is 'dangerous and scary' is that your mind attributed those qualities to a man you don't even know anything about.

Leaving this example, finally.....it should be apparent how EASILY we can make mistakes in judging those around us - particularly strangers we meet on the street.

Our minds make snap decisions about those we briefly see - and our minds are mainly dedicated to keeping us in a 'safe zone,' so that almost anything at all can make us 'retreat' to a safer place or make us quickly judge a person, then walk away without questioning our judgments.

We do this with people in public, and even at home when we forget (so often) to ask questions about situations.

Many domestic arguments begin from this very problem of Fundamental Attribution Error.

Once we we are with a partner or our kids and we're comfortable, feeling safe with them, we start to believe that we know the people in our homes so well that we rarely need to ask for clarification of behaviors we see or things we hear.

Consequently, many 'silent moods' in men are mistaken by women as 'refusal to discuss an issue,' when really, a man might be very well concentrating on 'the issue' in order to figure it out then make a verbal response on the issue.

If the woman doesn't ask (without including a remnant of her assumption into the verbal exchange, which may come off sounding like an accusation) then FAE can be really harmful in that relationship.

Teens are often the victims of parental FAEs. If a teen, who is experiencing a lot of physiological changes, including 'growth spurts,' starts to sleep in on weekend mornings, parent will often assume that the teen is getting 'lazy.' Really THE MOST PROBABLE reason for the teen sleeping longer is that physiologically his or her body is MAKING THAT HAPPEN QUITE NATURALLY and the teen probably has little control of it.

If the parent doesn't stop to ask, "Hey, how have you been feeling? I noticed that you sleep later on weekends - has it been a while that you've felt tired and like you are having troubles waking up earlier?" then the parent(s) usually just assume any number of stereotypical teenage things about their child.

We make FAE's every day, as a collective public, too. Evidence of this is in our daily newspapers. We gossip about celebrities without knowing who they really are or without knowing the motives behind their behaviors.

Everyone knows ABOUT the celebrities, but almost nobody really knows them, yet a general public talks, daily, about these people as if we know them and understand why they may or may not sign a contract for a certain event or move, why they have gone to a foreign country, why they have two houses in a marriage, why they are having lunch with another celebrity, etc.

We truly DO NOT KNOW many things in life and we complicate matters by NOT ASKING ENOUGH QUESTIONS before we assume what different truths are.

If you have ever been 'misunderstood' - and most of us have - don't worry, it happens to EVERYONE. Because everyone else will make assumptions about you, me, others, 'til the end of time.

If you want to have LESS error in your life, then start asking YOURSELF questions about your critical thinking. Even if everyone else still makes Fundamental Attribution Errors all day long and you, along with them, you can still turn the REACTION to these errors around and ensure that you don't make FAEs a harmful part of regular life.