Lecture 5 - Social Inference

Question 1

What is an attribution and what are attribution theories?

Answer 1

Attribution:
Making judgements about the causes of other people’s behaviour

Attribution theories:
What are the principles that determine how causal attributions are made?

Question 2

What are the two main questions surrounding attribution theories?

Answer 2

Attribution theories:
What are the principles that determine how causal attributions are made?

1. Is the behaviour the result of someone’s personality?
   Dispositional attributions
2. Is the behaviour the result of the situation?
   Situational attributions

Question 3

Describe Kelley’s Covariation Theory (1967)

Answer 3

Kelley’s Covariation Theory (1967)

Covariation principle.
> Judgement of how strongly things are related
> Behaviour is attributed to possible causes that go together with the behaviour

Consensus
- Do most people behave this way in this situation?

Consistency
- Does the person always behave this way in this situation?

Distinctiveness
- Is the behaviour only performed in a particular situation and not in other situations?

Question 4

READ THE SLIDES 17 TO THE END OF THE RELEVANT POWERPOINT BECAUSE I JUST DIDNT GET IT.

Answer 4

(make notes if you want or just teach yourself on whiteboard)

Question 5

READ PAGES 647-652
INFO ON:
- SELF ESTEEM
- CAUSAL ATTRIBUTION
- ATTRIBUTIONAL BIASES
- ACTOR-OBSERVER EFFECTS
\+more

all v important I think

Answer 5

(make notes if you want or just teach yourself on whiteboard)