Fundamental Attribution Error
This morning’s general session at the ASCD conference featured a talk by Chip Heath, a Stanford professor and author (with his brother, Dan), of the books Switch, and Made to Stick.
The point of his talk was to look at the conditions that make change more or less likely, for individuals, groups, and organizations. In thinking about change, Heath used the analogy of a rider on an elephant. The rider is the analytical mind – important, but considerably smaller than the elephant. The elephant is the emotional side of our behavior – more powerful than the rider, but more effective when they work together. Effective change comes from getting the rider and the elephant working together, and the last key to change is clearing the path, removing the obstacles and changing the environment to help the rider and elephant along.
In terms of shaping the environment, Heath advised the audience to beware of “fundamental attribution error.” Rather than try to summarize it perfectly, I looked it up.
1. Fundamental Attribution Error. This refers to the tendency to over estimate the internal and underestimate