Attribution

Question 1

Attributions

Answer 1

Explanations for behavior. We make attributions especially when something unexpected or negative happens. Can affect our feelings, attitudes, and emotions.

Question 2

Locus

Answer 2

Extent to which we believe something happened because of an internal factor or an external factor.

Question 3

Internal/dispositional factors

Answer 3

Characteristics of an individual (moods, attitudes, personalities, etc.)

Question 4

External/situational factors

Answer 4

Factors that are external to a person that might influence their behaivor (social pressure, money, etc.)

Question 5

Principle of Covariation

Answer 5

If the cause is present, then we can expect to observe the effect; if the cause is not present, then we can expect not to observe the effect

Question 6

Discounting Principle

Answer 6

If many potential causes are plausible, then we are less likely to attribute an effect to any particular cause.

Question 7

Distinctiveness

Answer 7

Does a person act this way only in response to this situation and not to other situations?

Question 8

Consensus

Answer 8

Do other people act in the same way in response to this stimulus?

Question 9

Consistency

Answer 9

Does the person act this way in response to this situation at other times?

Question 10

Salience

Answer 10

Anything that captures our attention and is more salient to us tends to be more influential.

Question 11

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 11

The tendency to over-attribute other people’s behavior to dispositional (internal) factors and under-attribute their behavior to situational (external) factors.

Question 12

Actor-Observer Bias

Answer 12

Each party has different perspectives on and information about an event. The Actor will likely attribute their own actions to situational factors, the Observer will attribute the Actor’s actions to dispositional factors.

Question 13

False Consensus Effect/Bias

Answer 13

The tendency to exaggerate the extent to which others agree with our behaviors and attitudes and others will think/react the same way as us, which makes us feel better that we are not the only ones with these ideas.

Question 14

Self-Serving Bias

Answer 14

Tendency to attribute our own success to internal factors and our failures to external factors.

Question 15

Self-Handicapping

Answer 15

Creating an obstacle to success so that when we fail we can attribute the failure to the obstacle rather than to our own ability or disposition.

Question 16

Egocentric Bias

Answer 16

The tendency to exaggerate our own contributions to shared activities.

Question 17

Illusion of Control

Answer 17

Believe we have more control than we actually do and underestimating the role of chance.