Attribution Theory and its Biases

Attribution Theory

  • Definition: Attribution theory is the study of how people explain the causes of other people’s behavior.

    • Internal Attribution: This occurs when individuals infer that a person is behaving in a certain way due to factors inherent to that individual, such as their personality, disposition, or attitudes.

    • External Attribution: This occurs when individuals infer that a person is behaving in a certain way due to factors related to the situation they are in, such as environmental pressures, social norms, or circumstances.

Examples of Attributions

  • Internal Attribution Examples:

    • "He failed the class because he is lazy." (Attributing failure to a personal trait)

    • "She achieved this success through her hard work." (Attributing success to personal effort)

    • "His success is directly derived from his parents’ wealth and influence." (Attributing success to personal background/advantage)

  • External Attribution Examples:

    • "Our team lost because the officials were biased against us." (Attributing loss to external situational factors)

    • "The accident was caused by the poor road conditions." (Attributing accident to environmental factors)

    • "Criminal behavior is caused by poverty." (Attributing behavior to socio-economic conditions)

Kelly's Covariation Model

  • This model proposes that for something to be considered the cause of a behavior, it must be present when the behavior occurs and absent when the behavior does not occur. People make attributions by observing three types of information, which help them decide between internal and external attributions:

    • Consensus: Refers to whether other people react in the same way in this particular situation. High consensus implies many people act similarly, suggesting an external cause.

    • Consistency: Refers to whether this person always behaves this way when they are in this specific situation. High consistency suggests a stable cause (either internal or external).

    • Distinctiveness: Refers to whether this is a unique or distinctive reaction for this person, or if they behave this way in other situations too. High distinctiveness (meaning they only act this way in this situation) suggests an external cause.

  • Combinations and Attributions:

    • High Consensus, High Consistency, High Distinctiveness = External Attribution: If many people act this way, this person always acts this way in this specific situation, and they don't act this way in other situations, then the situation is likely the cause.

    • Low Consensus, High Consistency, Low Distinctiveness = Internal Attribution: If few people act this way, this person always acts this way in this specific situation, and they also act this way in other situations, then the person's disposition is likely the cause.

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

  • Definition: The fundamental attribution error is a pervasive cognitive bias where observers tend to underestimate external (situational) influences and overestimate internal (dispositional) influences on other people’s behavior.

  • This error occurs even when people are explicitly aware of situational constraints or external influences that might explain the behavior.

What Causes the FAE?

The FAE is primarily caused by two main factors:

  1. Perceptual Salience:

    • This refers to what an observer is paying attention to in a given situation. When observing another person, the person themselves is often the most salient (noticeable) element, while situational factors surrounding them are less obvious or