Unit 4 - Attribution Theory and Person Perception

Attribution Theory

the theory that we explain people's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition

• "That man is yelling because he's a bad person”

Dispositional Attributions

Internal Characteristics (Personal Traits) such as personality and intelligence

Situational Attributions

Environmental Factors

Explanatory Style

a psychological attribute that describes how people explain the causes and impact of events in their lives, whether positive or negative

Actor-Observer Bias

when an individual blames another person unjustly as being the sole cause of their behavior, but then commits the same error and blames outside forces

Fundamental Attribution Error

we attribute the behavior of others to internal factors rather than external

• I believe that the man is yelling because he is a bad person, not because he's under a lot of stress.

False Consensus Effect

the belief that a lot of people think the way we do

Self-Serving Bias

we attribute causes of behavior to external causes if we fail & internal causes if we succeed.

• I passed my test because I am smart or I failed my test, because my teacher doesn’t teach me well

Internal locus of control

think they control and are responsible for what happens to them

External locus of control

Believe what happens is due to fate, luck, or others

Outgroup homogeneity

The out-group homogeneity effect is the perception of out-group members as more similar to one another than are in-group members

• e.g. "they are alike; we are diverse".

• allows for all types of bias, prejudice and discrimination (dispositional attribution)

Social Control vs Personal Control

the power of the situation vs the power of the individual

Other-race Effect

the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Social Comparison Theory

is the idea that people compare themselves to others to evaluate their abilities, opinions, and attitudes, and to gain a better understanding of themselves

Relative Deprivation

is the idea that someone feels deprived or entitled to something based on a comparison to others

Optimistic explanatory style

attributes negative events to external, temporary, and specific factors, leading to resilience and a positive outlook.

Pessimistic explanatory style

attributes negative events to internal, stable, and global factors, often resulting in feelings of helplessness and low self-esteem.

Upward social comparison

this can motivate individuals to improve but may also lead to feelings of inadequacy or envy

Downward social comparison

this often boosts self-esteem by making individuals feel better about their own situation

Experiments to know