SCLOA - Describe the role of situational & dispositional factors in explaining behaviour

Question 1

attributions

Answer 1

Heider (1958):

• attribution: attempting to explain observable behaviour
• they distinguish between causes of behaviour as internal (dispositional) or external (situational)

Assumptions made:

• people perform attributions bc they f„eel that there are motives behind most of„ their own behaviour
• people rely on their intuition to formulate cause –> effect of human behaviour

Question 2

evolutionary explanation of attribution

Answer 2

• making attributions enables one to understand and make predictions about their environment
• this makes them feel in control of their surroundings (and derive comfort from this control)
• most cultures have constructed causal explanations „or the origin and meaning o„f life (e.g. myths, religions)

Question 3

types of attributions

Answer 3

• situational

- dispositional

Question 4

situational factors

Answer 4

when we attribute behaviour as due to external/social factors

Question 5

dispositional attribution

Answer 5

when we attribute behaviour as due to internal characteristics (i.e. personality)

Question 6

consistency of dispositional attribution

Answer 6

Epstein (1983):

• studied the behaviour of college students for about a month
• initially observed a lot of behavioural variability: participants did not necessarily act the same way in similar situations
• however, when behaviour was aggregated over a 2-week interval it was highly predictive of their behaviour in similar circumstances over another 2-week interval
• findings support the existence of traits provided the appropriate time perspective is adopted
• one’s general tendencies will manifest themselves, albeit to different extents every situation

Question 7

consistency of dispositional factors across time

Answer 7

Roberts and Del Vecchio (2000):

• conducted meta-analysis of 152 longitudinal personality studies
• found a high correlation between measures of personality obtained 7 years apart from the same sample

Question 8

consistency of dispositional factors across mediums/situations

Answer 8

Gosling et al. (2010):

• participants self-reported on their FB activities
• and did an FFM test
• correlations found between participants’ FFM scores and FB activities

Question 9

role of situational factors in behaviour

Answer 9

Situational factors: group pressure, culture, weather, etc

• social influence can affect behaviour
• people don’t always respond the same way in similar situations
• it can be argued that behaviour is more dependent on situational rather than dispositional factors

Studies: Milgram (1963; 1974)

Question 10

Milgram (1963; 1974)

Answer 10

• conformity study
• the participant is under the impression they have to teach the confederate
• every time the confederate makes a mistake, participants are ordered by an authority figure to administer shocks to a confederate
• participants are led to believe the shocks are real (as the confederate appeared to react with pain)
• Milgram (1963;1974) is generally considered to support the effect of situational factors being greater than dispositional
• however, that is subject to dispute

Question 11

Milgram (1963; 1974) evaluation - pro-situational

Answer 11

Benjamin and Simpson (2009):

• participants’ behaviour was under situational control (e.g. a legitimate authority’s orders), rather than dispositional control (e.g. the participants’ conscience)
• Milgram’s research on obedience is regarded by many as a prime example of the power of situational factors

Question 12

Milgram (1963; 1974) evaluation - pro-dispositional

Answer 12

Sabini et al. (2001):

• both obedience and disobedience can take place in conformity studies
• whether an individual obeys or not depends on their personality (dispositional factor)
• virtually all the situational explanations can be explained as dispositional as well; unless somebody has the disposition to obey, no obedience will occur