attribution

Question 1

Define causal attribution

Answer 1

the process of assigning a cause to an event or behaviour / the explanations that people use for what caused a particular event or behaviour

Question 2

Dimensions of causal attribution x3

Answer 2

1. ) locus of causality (behaviours / events can be attributed to internal causes or external causes.)
2. ) stability (behaviours / events can be attributed to stable or unstable causes
3. ) controllability (behaviours or events can be attributed to controllable or uncontrollable causes)

Question 3

What is Heider’s attribution theory

Answer 3

Humans are naive scientists and are motivated by a need to; form coherent views of the world and be in control of their environment

Question 4

Whats the correspondent inference theory

Answer 4

It outlines a number of factors influencing whether people make dispositional attributions

Question 5

What 5 factors does the correspondence inference theory say causes a person to make attributions

Answer 5

1. ) choice - did the person choose to perform the behaviour
2. ) non-common effects - are the effects of the behaviour unique to that behaviour
3. ) social desirability - is it consistent with social norms
4. ) hedonistic relevance - doesn’t it have consequences for you
5. ) personalism - is it intended to affect you

Question 6

Issues with the correspondence inference theory x2

Answer 6

1. ) it focuses on single instances of behaviour

2. ) it only focuses on the prowesses underlying dispositional attributions

Question 7

What is the covariational model

Answer 7

It argues that attributions are based on what factors co-occur with the behaviour / event. It says we draw on consensus (does everyone behave this way towards the stimulus), consistency (does the person always behave this way towards the stimulus) and distinctiveness (does the person behave the same way to other stimuli) when making decisions about attributions.

Question 8

Issues with covariational model x2

Answer 8

1. ) we don’t always have information on all the dimensions (but we still make attributions)
2. ) we probably don’t always use all the information as that requires a lot of effort.

Question 9

What is the fundamental attribution error (FAE)

Answer 9

The tendency to over attribute actions to the person rather than the situation

Question 10

explanations of FAE (Gilbert and Malone 1995) x3

Answer 10

1. ) lack of awareness of situational constraints
2. ) unrealistic expectations of behaviour
3. ) incomplete corrections of dispositional inferences - we make dispositional attributions as a default but may fail for situational influences

Question 11

What is the actor/observer bias

Answer 11

The tendency to attribute others behaviour to dispositional factors and our own behaviour to situational factors

Question 12

Explanations of actor/observer bias x2

Answer 12

1. ) perceptual focus - we observe the other person performing the behaviour, whereas we can’t see ourselves so can only see the situational background
2. ) informational differences - we have more information on how we behave in different situations than how others behave in different situations

Question 13

What is the self serving attributional bias

Answer 13

We interpret the world in a way which serves our purpose. This is adaptive to maintain and enhance self esteem and good mental health