Taylor Johnson

Status:

Mentor: 
Dr. Amy Murrell
Research Topic: 
Wide-Eyed Explanations of Behavior: Using a Functional Contextual Approach to Explore Attributions
Abstract: 
"Research suggests people in western cultures tend to commit the fundamental attribution error (FAE) while observing others’ behavior (i.e.,overemphasizing dispositional causes and undervaluing situational causes; Ross, 1977). Functional contextualism(FC) is a philosophy that seeks to predict and influence events such as thoughts and overt behaviors by focusing on contextual information. This study, using FC, aims to understand the extent to which contextual variables impact the FAE by exploring the shifts associated with varying degrees of contextual information. We will explore if an individual will shift from associating behavior with dispositional traits to associating it with situation. Participants will be given several vignettes depicting a variety of social situations, then answer a series of questions designed by us that are based on Corrigan’s factors of the FAE."
Alma Mater: 
B.S. Applied Behavior Analysis | University of North Texas 2015