chapter 5 attribution

Attribution Theory

A framework for understanding how we explain the behavior of ourselves and others.

Internal Attributions

Causes attributed to something about the person, such as personality traits, effort, and motives.

External Attributions

Causes attributed to the situation or environment, such as task difficulty or luck.

Kelley's Attribution Theory

Proposes that people use logic to determine the causes of behavior based on consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness.

Consensus

A measure of whether other people respond to the same stimulus in the same way; high consensus means many agree.

Consistency

Refers to whether a person usually responds to the same stimulus in the same way; high consistency indicates the same response happens often.

Distinctiveness

Measures if a person usually responds similarly to other, similar stimuli; low distinctiveness means similar responses to various stimuli.

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

The tendency to attribute others' behaviors to internal causes rather than considering external factors.

Actor-Observer Effect

The tendency to attribute our own actions to situational causes, while attributing others' actions to dispositional causes.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

Collectivists vs. Individualists in FAE

Individualists are more likely to exhibit Fundamental Attribution Error than collectivists.

Three-Step Attribution Model

A process where behavior leads to personal attribution (automatic) which is followed by situational attribution (effortful) resulting in a new attribution.