By human nature we constantly make attributions regarding the cause of other people’s behavior as well as our own behavior. We may strive to be objective, but nevertheless, we are prone to perceptual errors, or attribution biases, based on our own expectations. Often our expectations are based on assumptions that we have made about people. The fundamental attribution error refers to when we over-emphasize the role of dispositional factors in explaining other people’s behavior while minimizing the role of situational factors (Attribution (psychology), 2017). Since attribution biases are present in everyday life, it is important to recognize them and realize how they may influence our perceptions and/or decisions. One significant example of attribution
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Even though I did not interact one-on-one with the mentor during the 10-week rotation (due to the grant writing), I witnessed the doctor’s excitement and boisterous personality during the weekly lab meetings. I mistakenly attributed the doctor’s charismatic personality as an ability to inspire and a willingness to mentor. Out of my three rotations, I ultimately chose this particular lab for the PhD work. However, it slowly became apparent that the expectations that I had of my mentor were not going to come to fruition. It became clear that the PhD mentor did not have adequate time or willingness to mentor students, nor the emotional intelligence to run a lab and manage people. The doctor was only interested in the lab’s scientific discoveries as opposed to new ideas that were presented. This was not in line with my initial expectations of how a lab should be run or how the doctor presented herself in the lab meetings. Ultimately, the doctor fulfilled the role of an advisor which was limited to guiding academic progress, but did not adequately fulfill the role of a mentor that “is centered on a commitment to advancing the student’s career through an interpersonal engagement that facilitates sharing guidance, experience and expertise” (Burgtorf, n.d.). A study of initial expectations of PhD candidates revealed that “reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy” in a mentor were important as well as “autonomy, constructive criticism and research culture” (Holbrook, 2014). While these are very important characteristics of a PhD mentor that can aide in the success of a PhD candidate, there is much mismatch between the expectations and the reality of the situation.
Even though I did not interact one-on-one with the mentor during the 10-week rotation (due to the grant writing), I witnessed the doctor’s excitement and boisterous personality during the weekly lab meetings. I mistakenly attributed the doctor’s charismatic personality as an ability to inspire and a willingness to mentor. Out of my three rotations, I ultimately chose this particular lab for the PhD work. However, it slowly became apparent that the expectations that I had of my mentor were not going to come to fruition. It became clear that the PhD mentor did not have adequate time or willingness to mentor students, nor the emotional intelligence to run a lab and manage people. The doctor was only interested in the lab’s scientific discoveries as opposed to new ideas that were presented. This was not in line with my initial expectations of how a lab should be run or how the doctor presented herself in the lab meetings. Ultimately, the doctor fulfilled the role of an advisor which was limited to guiding academic progress, but did not adequately fulfill the role of a mentor that “is centered on a commitment to advancing the student’s career through an interpersonal engagement that facilitates sharing guidance, experience and expertise” (Burgtorf, n.d.). A study of initial expectations of PhD candidates revealed that “reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy” in a mentor were important as well as “autonomy, constructive criticism and research culture” (Holbrook, 2014). While these are very important characteristics of a PhD mentor that can aide in the success of a PhD candidate, there is much mismatch between the expectations and the reality of the situation.