The Co-Variation Model

Who created the co-variation model

Kelley: causality is attributed using the co-variation principle

Co-variation principal

For something to be the cause of a particular behaviour, it must be present when the behaviour is present and absent when the behaviour is absent

What are the three types of information that is important when arriving at an internal or external attribution

• WHAT

• WHAT

• WHAT

What are the three types of information that is important when arriving at an internal or external attribution

• Consensus

• Consistency

• Distinctiveness

The combination of these three determines WHAT

The combination of these three determines ATTRIBUTIONS

Consensus information

The extent to which other people in the scene react in the same way as the target person (is everyone late this morning)

Consistency information

The extent to which the target person reacts in the same way on different occasion (is Mark always late to work) 

Distinctiveness information

The extent to which the target person reacts in the same way in other social contexts (is Mark usually late or was it just this time)

• Presence of consensus information - A WHAT cause

• Absence of consensus information - A WHAT cause

• Presence of consensus information - A SITUATION cause

• Absence of consensus information - A DISPOSITION cause

• Presence of consistency information - WHAT cause 

• Absence of consistency information - WHAT cause 

• Presence of consistency information - DISPOSITION cause 

• Absence of consistency information - SITUATION cause 

• Presence of distinctiveness information - WHAT cause 

• Absence of distinctiveness information - WHAT cause

• Presence of distinctiveness information - SITUATION cause 

• Absence of distinctiveness information - DISPOSITION cause

Issue with the co-variation model: when using the model, all three types of information are not WHAT attended to, we attend more toward WHAT (WHAT and WHAT) information than to WHAT information (WHAT)

Issue with the co-variation model: when using the model, all three types of information are not EQUALLY attended to, we attend more toward TARGET (CONSISTENCY and DISTINCTIVENESS) information than to OTHER PEOPLE information (CONSENSUS)