Attribution Flashcards
Attribution= (1) + e.g.
- the process of assigning causes to our own and others’ behaviour (we seek to explain the world around us)
- e.g. astrology, conspiracy theories
Forer effect (1949) & Barnum statements»
People given high accuracy rating to descriptions supposedly tailored to them, even though they are VAGUE & GENERAL enough to apply to most
Forer effect & labels
- participants more likely to select their star sign when label included (Silverman, 1971)
Forer effect + factors effecting acceptance (Dickinson & Kelly, 1985) (3)
> specificity (including name)
favourability of profile (how nice)
authority of evaluator (e.g. scientist)
Different theories of attribution (3)
- common sense
- correspondent inference theory (jones & Davis, 1965)
- covariation model of attribution (kelley, 1967)
Common sense (heider)> concept
idea we seek to explain the world around us, thus believe everyone else to have same motivation to explain the world around them
common sense: Heider> 3 principles (3) + (2)
- behaviour is motivated, not random (we seek to explain)
- we look for causes to predict & control the environment
- we distinguish personality & environmental factors (situational influence on behaviour
–>internal attribution (personalty=shy)
–>external attribution (they are out of comfort zone)
Common sense (Heider)> formula
Behaviour= function of (person x environment)
correspondent inference (jones & Davis, 1965)> 5 cues for if behaviour reflects a person (5)
> act freely chosen
produced non-common effect
socially desirable
directly impacted you
act was personal
correspondent inference (jones & Davis, 1965)> concept
- 5 sources of cues to decide if a behaviour reflects a person
- idea behaviour shows who they are (if kind to 1 but not 2> not kind)
why was the correspondent inference model (5 cues) short-lived?
- model assumes we judge deliberately
- judgements are actually automatic
Attribution: Covariation model (aka ANOVA)> concept (2)
- people identify factors that COVARY & then assign it a causal role
- used to decide if behaviour is INTEGRAL (personality) or EXTERNAL (stimuli)
Attribution: Covariation model (aka ANOVA): 3 main factors»
- consensus (does everybody agree?)
- distinctiveness (is it unique to a person?)
- consistency
What does the Covariation model (aka ANOVA) of attribution, LACK: (3)
- exposure effects (more know a person> impression changes)
- distinctive from naive
- substantial evidence
Attribution styles (individual differences): Locus of control (rotter, 1966)>
-LOC= the degree to which an individual believes that they (as opposed to external forces) have control over the outcome of events in their lives
Attribution styles (individual differences): Locus of control (rotter, 1966)> 2 types>
- internal= believe they control outcomes
- external= believes that other forces are in control
Locus of control is a great predictor of:
- behaviour, success, relationships, attitudes, quality of life
Biases in attribution (2)
- Fundamental Attribution Error (aka correspondence bias)= tendency for people to make DISPOSITIONAL attributions for others’ behaviour, even when clear external/ environmental causal contenders
- Cognitive misers= people use cognitive short cuts (heuristics) to make thinking easier (though not always objectively correct)
Bias towards ourselves: (4)
- self-serving bias
- self-handicapping (reverse self-serving)
- optimism bias
- false consensus effect
bias towards ourselves: self-serving bias
-Attribute positive events to self; & negative events to external factors
- e.g. (got an A because of hard work; got a D because exam was “too hard or unfair”)
biases towards ourselves: self-handicapping (reverse-self-serving)
anticipated failure leads to external attributions
biases towards ourselves: optimism bias (armor & taylor, 2002; Roesch & Amrikham, 1997)
belief that we are less likely to experience a negative event
- e.g. divorce, smoking
biases towards ourselves: false consensus effect=
see our own behaviour as more typical than it is
(e.g. everyone does it mentality)
What causes the fundamental attribution error?> (4)
> Focus of attention= behaviour attracts more attention than what is going on in the background
Differential forgetting= people can forget situational causes more readily than dispositional cues
Cultural & development factors= idea of ‘normative’ way of thinking
Linguistic factors= eng lang constructed so easy to describe an action & actors in same terms but not a situation
Teleological thinking =
- Teleological thinking= purpose driven thinking (idea everything exists to serve some function) to make sense of the world (Kundert & Edman, 2017)
What does teleological thinking extend to»
- objects & events
- superstitious thinking
Face pareidolia= (2)
seeing faces in object
>links to (hyperactive) Agent Detection= presumed sentience where there might not be any
conspiracy theories= (douglas & sutton, 2011) & (Aaronvitch, 2009)
“an attempt to explain the ultimate cause of a significant political or socal event as a secret plot by a covert alliance of powerful individuals or organisations”
>”the unnecessary assumption of conspiracy when other explanations are more probable”
conspiracy vs conspiracy theories (2)
- conspiracies do happen
- what separates the two is coherent logic & evidence
