4.1 Attributions

Dispositional Attributions

Relate to internal qualities

Situational Attributions

Relate to external circumstances

Optimistic Explanatory Style

Attributing positive events to internal factors and negative events to external factors

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Attributing negative events to internal factors and positive events to external factors

Actor/Observer Bias

Tendency to attribute our own actions to
situational factors, but others’ actions to dispositional factors

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating the role of dispositional factors in others' behaviors

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing our successes to internal factors and failures to external factors

Self-fulfilling prophecy

When people behave in ways that elicit
behaviors from others that confirm their beliefs or perceptions

Upward Comparison

Comparing oneself to those who are better off

Downward Comparison

Comparing oneself to those who are worse off

Relative Deprivation

Feeling deprived based on comparisons