Attributions & Perception

Dispositional (internal) attribution

Explaining behavior based on personal traits, abilities, or feelings.

Situational (external) attribution

Explaining behavior based on external factors like the environment or circumstances.

Explanatory styles

The way people habitually explain events in their lives.

Optimistic

Viewing negative events as temporary and external.

Pessimistic

Viewing negative events as long-lasting and personal.

Actor/observer bias

We blame our own mistakes on the situation but blame others' mistakes on their personality.

Self-serving bias

Taking credit for successes (internal) but blaming failures on external factors.

Internal locus of control

Belief that you control your own fate through effort and decisions.

External locus of control

Belief that external forces (luck, fate, others) determine your fate.

Person perception

The process of forming impressions about others based on behavior, appearance, and assumptions.

Social comparison (upward or downward)

Comparing ourselves to others:

Upward

Comparing to someone better off, often for inspiration.

Downward

Comparing to someone worse off to boost self-esteem.

Relative deprivation

Feeling worse off when comparing ourselves to others who have more.

Implicit attitudes

Unconscious beliefs or feelings that influence behavior.

Out-group homogeneity bias

Tendency to see members of other groups as "all the same" while seeing diversity in our own group.

Ethnocentrism

Believing one’s own culture or group is superior to others.

Belief perseverance

Holding on to beliefs even when presented with contradictory evidence.

Confirmation bias

Seeking out information that supports our existing beliefs and ignoring opposing evidence.