The Power of Situations: Jonestown and the Fundamental Attribution Error

Abstract

The fundamental attribution error (FAE) is the tendency to overestimate dispositional and underestimate situational causes for others' behavior (Ross, 1977). Undergraduate students ( N = 155) explained the causes of a person's “bad day.” The experimental group completed responses after viewing a documentary on Jonestown and discussing situational factors in that environment; 3 other groups completed responses after a research methods lecture (control) or lectures on the FAE. Participants exposed to the film made significantly fewer dispositional and more situational attributions in explaining the target's bad day compared to control participants and more situational attributions compared to lecture participants. We discuss implications for teaching psychological principles using real-life events.