Attribution Bias

Attribution Bias is the tendency to explain a person’s behaviour by referring to their character rather than any situational factor.

Screening, post-screening

What is attribution bias?

Attribution Bias is the tendency to explain a person’s behaviour by referring to their character rather than any situational factor. It leads you to overestimate the weight of someone’s personality traits and underestimate the influence of their individual circumstances.

Attribution bias can foster the halo & horns effect.

Example situation hiring process.

If a candidate worked for a shorter amount of time for their last employers, you might assume that they are job hoppers when screening their CV. However, you might not take into consideration that switching jobs a couple of times can also be a result of external factors (for example layoffs at some previous employers).

This can also happen during job interviews when someone is one minute late or wears a t-shirt with a stain.

Our inspirational blogs, podcasts and video’s

Listen to what they say about our product offering right here

Amsterdam • May 11th 2023 •

The summit on Unbiased hiring and DE&I in Recruitment.