Book chapter
Seeing Bias: Discrediting and Dismissing Accurate Attributions
Ideology, Psychology, and Law
11 Jan 2012
Abstract
This chapter explores the way in which dispositionism maintains its dominance as an attributional framework despite failing to capture accurately the causes of human behavior. The answer lies in a subordinate dynamic and discourse, naïve cynicism: the basic subconscious mechanism by which dispositionists discredit and dismiss generally more accurate situationist insights and their proponents. Without the operation of naïve cynicism, dispositionism would be far more vulnerable to challenge and change. Naïve cynicism is, thus, critically important to explaining how and why certain legal policies manage to carry the day. As a case study, the chapter considers the naïve cynical backlash against situationist accounts of the causes of prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and other detentions centers.
Metrics
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1 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- Seeing Bias: Discrediting and Dismissing Accurate Attributions
- Creators
- Jon HansonAdam Benforado
- Publication Details
- Ideology, Psychology, and Law
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Thomas R. Kline School of Law
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-84921721725
- Other Identifier
- 991019174611304721