Akademik Karar Alma Süreçlerinde Temel Atıf Hatası
The Fundamental Attribution Error in Academic Decision-Making Processes

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to investigate whether the fundamental attribution error, defined as a cognitive bias within the Behavioral Economics literature, manifests itself within academic settings. The sample consists of 151 academics who have supervised graduate students at least once or are currently supervising them. Participants were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups, each presented with a scenario related to graduate supervision, followed by a set of questions to be answered. The scenarios in the study were presented to the control group as a case concerning a student’s own advisor, whereas for the experimental group, they involved a complaint made by a student under the supervision of the academic. The questions following the scenarios focused on internal and external factors explaining the situation, comprising five items for each factor. Differences in responses between the two groups were analyzed using the Chi-square test. The findings reveal that academics exhibit the fundamental attribution error, as evidenced by their differing responses when explaining the scenario from their own perspective versus that of others. This indicates that the fundamental attribution error can also be observed in professional environments.

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