Bailey and Burch 25 Essential Skills and Strategies for Behavior Analysts. Chapter 13 Drs. Bailey and Burch describe the “think function” as one’s consideration of possible environmental variables – things that have happened or may be currently happening – that lead a person to behave the way that she or he behaves. They give examples in the mall (but I don’t think anyone goes to malls anymore), at work, at home, with coworkers, with a cranky IT director, and with parents. These are good examples. Social psychology (which is actually a pretty cool branch of psychology – and where I got my start nearly four decades ago) has described the fundamental attribution bias. What this bias is, essentially, is our ability to point to numerous environmental events that have influenced our behavior when we behave in an unusual manner, but also our greater probability of not doing this when considering other people’s unusual behavior, but instead blaming that unusual behavior on characteristics of that person. So, when I am still laying on the sofa and it’s 10:30 am and I haven’t done anything but drink coffee and watch TV all day, it maybe because I didn’t sleep well last night, because this is the first time in the last two weeks I’ve had the chance to catch up on Portlandia given how busy the last two weeks have been, or because yesterday’s crossfit session was a killer and everything hurts. But, if you’re still laying on the sofa drinking coffee and watching TV at 10:30 am, I may say you’re lazy, you lack ambition, you aren’t motivated, you don’t have a good work ethic, etc. I’ve had a number of work supervisors who’ve fallen victim to the fundamental attribution bias. When they’ve not gotten an assignment done, there are many contributing environmental factors. When I haven’t gotten an assignment done, I lack the right values. When the boss has bent the rules, it’s because of extenuating circumstances. When I bend the rules, it’s because I have a problem with authority. How can the think function combat the fundamental attribution bias? How can we help supervisors and managers – particularly those who are behavior analysts – to use their think function and avoid the fundamental attribution bias? What do you think would be some risks or benefits of using the think function instead of the fundamental attribution bias?
Bailey and Burch 25 Essential Skills and Strategies for Behavior Analysts. Chapter 13
Drs. Bailey and Burch describe the “think function” as one’s consideration of possible environmental variables – things that have happened or may be currently happening – that lead a person to behave the way that she or he behaves. They give examples in the mall (but I don’t think anyone goes to malls anymore), at work, at home, with coworkers, with a cranky IT director, and with parents. These are good examples.
Social psychology (which is actually a pretty cool branch of psychology – and where I got my start nearly four decades ago) has described the fundamental attribution bias. What this bias is, essentially, is our ability to point to numerous environmental events that have influenced our behavior when we behave in an unusual manner, but also our greater probability of not doing this when considering other people’s unusual behavior, but instead blaming that unusual behavior on characteristics of that person. So, when I am still laying on the sofa and it’s 10:30 am and I haven’t done anything but drink coffee and watch TV all day, it maybe because I didn’t sleep well last night, because this is the first time in the last two weeks I’ve had the chance to catch up on Portlandia given how busy the last two weeks have been, or because yesterday’s crossfit session was a killer and everything hurts. But, if you’re still laying on the sofa drinking coffee and watching TV at 10:30 am, I may say you’re lazy, you lack ambition, you aren’t motivated, you don’t have a good work ethic, etc.
I’ve had a number of work supervisors who’ve fallen victim to the fundamental attribution bias. When they’ve not gotten an assignment done, there are many contributing environmental factors. When I haven’t gotten an assignment done, I lack the right values. When the boss has bent the rules, it’s because of extenuating circumstances. When I bend the rules, it’s because I have a problem with authority.
- How can the think function combat the fundamental attribution bias?
- How can we help supervisors and managers – particularly those who are behavior analysts – to use their think function and avoid the fundamental attribution bias?
- What do you think would be some risks or benefits of using the think function instead of the fundamental attribution bias?
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