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Topic 7 Homework (Nonadaptive)
Question 12 of 16 (1 point)|Question Attempt: 3 of Unlimited

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Question 12
The fundamental attribution error (FAE) in psychology is the tendency of a person to overemphasize "dispositional" factors and to underemphasize "situational" factors when attributing reasons for other people's behavior. We're interested in seeing if there's a difference in tendency to commit the FAE among groups that differ in level of psychology training. We show each participant a video on which a scenario is enacted, and we ask the participant questions about why the characters in the enactment behaved as they did.
Suppose that our data are summarized in the contingency table below. Each of the 150 participants is classified according to two variables: type(s) of attributions emphasized ("Mostly situational", "Mixed", or "Mostly dispositional") and level of psychology training ("No psych training", "Psych degree, but not a psychologist", or "Psychologist"). Fill in these blanks with the frequencies expected if the two variables, level of psychology training and type(s) of attributions emphasized, are independent.

Round your answers to two or more decimal places.

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Type(s) of attributions emphasized
Mostly situational	Mixed	Mostly dispositional	Total
Level of psychology training	No psych training	15

23
22
60
Psych degree, but not a psychologist	8
21

26
55
Psychologist	7

6
22
35
Total	30	50	70	150

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To solve this problem, we need to calculate the expected frequency for each cell in the contingency table. These values are calculated under the assumption that the two variables (type of attributions emphasized and level of psychology training) are independent. For each cell, the expected frequency is determined by the formula:

\[
\text{Expected Frequency} = \frac{\text{Row Total} \times \text{Column Total}}{\text{Grand Total}}
\]

### Step-by-Step Solution

1. **Identify the Totals:**
   - **Row Totals**:
     - No psych training: 60
     - Psych degree, but not a psychologist: 55
     - Psychologist: 35
   - **Column Totals**:
     - Mostly situational: 30
     - Mixed: 50
     - Mostly dispositional: 70
   - **Grand Total**: 150

2. **Calculate Expected Frequencies:**
   Using the formula for each cell:

   - **No psych training, Mostly situational**:
     \[
     \frac{60 \times 30}{150} = 12
     \]

   - **No psych training, Mixed**:
     \[
     \frac{60 \times 50}{150} = 20
     \]

   - **No psych training, Mostly dispositional**:
     \[
     \frac{60 \times 70}{150} = 28
     \]

   - **Psych degree, but not a psychologist, Mostly situational**:
     \[
     \frac{55 \times 30}{150} = 11
     \]

   - **Psych degree, but not a psychologist, Mixed**:
     \[
     \frac{55 \times 50}{150} = 18.33
     \]

   - **Psych degree, but not a psychologist, Mostly dispositional**:
     \[
     \frac{55 \times 70}{150} = 25.67
     \]

   - **Psychologist, Mostly situational**:
     \[
     \frac{35 \times 30}{150} = 7
     \]

   - **Psychologist, Mixed**:
     \[
     \frac{35 \times 50}{150} = 11.67
     \]

   - **Psychologist, Mostly dispositional**:
     \[
     \frac{35 \times 70}{150} = 16.33
     \]

### Final Expected Frequencies Table

|                      | Mostly situational | Mixed | Mostly dispositional | Total |
|----------------------|--------------------|-------|-----------------------|-------|
| No psych training    | 12                | 20    | 28                   | 60    |
| Psych degree, not psychologist | 11       | 18.33 | 25.67                | 55    |
| Psychologist         | 7                 | 11.67 | 16.33                | 35    |
| **Total**            | **30**            | **50**| **70**               | **150**|

Let me know if you'd like additional explanations or have further questions!

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### Related Questions

1. What is the fundamental attribution error, and how is it commonly studied?
2. How do we calculate expected values in a contingency table?
3. Why is it essential to check the independence assumption in such studies?
4. How would you interpret any significant difference between observed and expected frequencies in this context?
5. What statistical test is commonly used to analyze differences in contingency tables?

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**Tip:** In contingency tables, if the sample size is too small, results might not be reliable for tests like chi-square, so it's important to ensure adequate sample sizes for each expected frequency.

The fundamental attribution error (FAE) in psychology is the tendency of a person to overemphasize 'dispositional' factors and to underemphasize 'situational' factors when attributing reasons for other people's behavior. We're interested in seeing if there's a difference in tendency to commit the FAE among groups that differ in level of psychology training. We show each participant a video on which a scenario is enacted, and we ask the participant questions about why the characters in the enactment behaved as they did. Suppose that our data are summarized in the contingency table below. Each of the 150 participants is classified according to two variables: type(s) of attributions emphasized ('Mostly situational', 'Mixed', or 'Mostly dispositional') and level of psychology training ('No psych training', 'Psych degree, but not a psychologist', or 'Psychologist'). Fill in these blanks with the frequencies expected if the two variables, level of psychology training and type(s) of attributions emphasized, are independent.

Learn how to calculate expected frequencies in a contingency table using a real-world example of the fundamental attribution error (FAE) in psychology. This problem guides you through calculating expected frequencies under the independence assumption, applying statistics concepts for research in psychology. Suitable for undergraduate students studying psychology or statistics.

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