6.3 Attributions

Question 1

What is an attribution?

Answer 1

The process by which we explain the cause of our own or another person’s behaviour; also used to refer to the explanation we come up with

Question 2

What is an internal attribution?

Answer 2

an explanation of behaviour due to the characteristics of the person involved, such as their personality, ability, attitude, motivation, mood or effort

Question 3

What is an external attribution?

Answer 3

an explanation of behaviour due to factors associated with the situation the person is in

Question 4

What is a fundamental attribution error?

Answer 4

The tendency to overestimate
the influence of personal factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors on other people’s behaviour; behaviour is attributed to internal than external factors

Question 5

What is saliency bias?

Answer 5

When a person’s behaviour tends to be more conspicuous ad therefore noticeable (salient) than the situation

Question 6

What is actor-observer bias?

Answer 6

The tendency to attribute our own behaviour to external (situational)
factors, while attributing others’ behaviour to internal (personal) factors

Question 7

What is self-serving bias?

Answer 7

When judging ourselves, the tendency to take the credit for our successes (internal factors) and attribute failures to external situational factors

Question 8

What is the just-world belief?

Answer 8

The belief that in the world, people get what they deserve