Unit 2: Attribution Theory- Part 1 Flashcards
What is the definition of attribution?
Process through which we seek information that helps to understand and explain behavior, in order to draw inferences
= understand, explain and control ourselves and others
what are the two theories of attribution
a) theory of correspondent inference
b)covariation theory
what is the correspondence inference theory?
when we observe a persons behavior, we try to figure out if the behavior reflects a persons true character(internal attribution) or is influenced by external factors (external attribution)
what situational factors does it include depending on what we determine?
Informative actions: rule out other possible causes and allow us to zero-in on specific reason for anothers behavior
- free will
- noncommon effects
- social desirability
how does social desirability explains someones attribution?
socially desirable= normal-> not noticeable
an action that stands out more will lead to attributions more related to that persons traits
what is the covariatio theory
to answer “why” an event did or did not happen, how come a certain event took place instead of another-> helps make sense of the world
what are the types of explanation for how an event took place?!!!!
a) internal attributions; to the persons disposition, who they are
eg, tardy, lazy, noncholant
b) external attributions; to the persons situation, what happened to them
eg, bus was late, no signal
Based on what three types of information do we make attributions based on the covariation theory?
Consensus
Consistency
Distinctivness
Consensus
the extent to which other people react to a given event/stimulus in the same manner as the person we are evaluating
Consistency
a person reacts to the event in the same way at other same occasions
Distinctiveness
the extent to which we react in the same manner to other similar but different event/stimuli
Low consensus, high consistency, low distinctivness=
Internal attribution
High consensus, high consistency and high distinctiveness=
External attribution
what are the other dimensions related to causal attribution?
- Internal vs External
Eg Goals/weather - Stable vs Unstable
Eg personality trait/mood - Controllable vs Uncontrollable
Eg time we study/encountering someone
how do we all use these three dimensions?
Help us to try to understand the world
