Define causal attribution
the process of assigning a cause to an event or behaviour / the explanations that people use for what caused a particular event or behaviour
Dimensions of causal attribution x3
- ) locus of causality (behaviours / events can be attributed to internal causes or external causes.)
- ) stability (behaviours / events can be attributed to stable or unstable causes
- ) controllability (behaviours or events can be attributed to controllable or uncontrollable causes)
What is Heider’s attribution theory
Humans are naive scientists and are motivated by a need to; form coherent views of the world and be in control of their environment
Whats the correspondent inference theory
It outlines a number of factors influencing whether people make dispositional attributions
What 5 factors does the correspondence inference theory say causes a person to make attributions
- ) choice - did the person choose to perform the behaviour
- ) non-common effects - are the effects of the behaviour unique to that behaviour
- ) social desirability - is it consistent with social norms
- ) hedonistic relevance - doesn’t it have consequences for you
- ) personalism - is it intended to affect you
Issues with the correspondence inference theory x2
- ) it focuses on single instances of behaviour
2. ) it only focuses on the prowesses underlying dispositional attributions
What is the covariational model
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.
Issues with covariational model x2
- ) we don’t always have information on all the dimensions (but we still make attributions)
- ) we probably don’t always use all the information as that requires a lot of effort.
What is the fundamental attribution error (FAE)
The tendency to over attribute actions to the person rather than the situation
explanations of FAE (Gilbert and Malone 1995) x3
- ) lack of awareness of situational constraints
- ) unrealistic expectations of behaviour
- ) incomplete corrections of dispositional inferences - we make dispositional attributions as a default but may fail for situational influences
What is the actor/observer bias
The tendency to attribute others behaviour to dispositional factors and our own behaviour to situational factors
Explanations of actor/observer bias x2
- ) perceptual focus - we observe the other person performing the behaviour, whereas we can’t see ourselves so can only see the situational background
- ) informational differences - we have more information on how we behave in different situations than how others behave in different situations
What is the self serving attributional bias
We interpret the world in a way which serves our purpose. This is adaptive to maintain and enhance self esteem and good mental health
