ATTRIBUTIONS

ATTRIBUTION THEORY It is the process by which people ascribe causes to the behavior they perceive. It is concerned with how individuals interpret events and how this relates to their thinking and behavior. Process by which people ascribe causes to the behavior they perceive. It assumes that people try to determine why people do what they do. It is considered a motivational theory looking at how the average person constructs the meaning of an event based on his /her motives to find a cause and his/her knowledge of the environment.

Types of attribution 1. Internal/Personal attributions - Explanations in terms of personal characteristics . E!ternal/"ituational attributions - Explanations in terms of situational factors

#o$$on Attribution Errors When people make attempts to determine the causes of other peoples behavior, errors commonly happen. These errors may be classified into the following types:

%UN&A'ENTA( ATTRIBUTION ERROR" t is also known as )orrespon*en)e bias or attribution effe)t. This is the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal or personal factors in the behavior of others. in other words it is the tendency to see the person rather than the situation as the main cause of that persons behavior.

"E(%-"ER+IN, BIA" That type of attribution error whereby people tend to attribute their achievements to their good inner !ualities, whereas they attribute their failures to adverse factors within the environment.

%a)tors T-at Influen)e Attribution

1. &I"TIN#TI+ENE""
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the consideration given to how consistent a persons behavior is across different situation.

. #ON"EN"U" " refers to the measure of whether an individual responds the same way across time. t is the extent to which other people behave in the same way in a similar situation. .. #ON"I"TEN#Y
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the measure of whether an individual responds the same way across time
INTERNAL ATTRIBUTIONS Behavior is attributed to internal factors

Frequently !i"h consistency# CONSISTENCY !o$ often the %erson did act this $ay in the %ast& Seldo' lo$ consistency#

Frequently F lo$ distinctiveness# DISTINCTIVENESS !o$ often does the %erson acts this $ay in another settin"s& Seldo' hi"h distinctiveness#

Seldo' lo$ consensus# CONSENSUS !o$ often do the other %eo%le act this $ay in si'ilar situations& Frequently hi"h consensus#

E(ternal attribution Behavior is attributed to e(ternal factors

"HORT#UT" U"E& IN %OR'IN, I'PRE""ION" O% OTHER" 1. "E(E#TI+E PER#EPTION " happens when a person selectively interprets what he sees on the basis of his interest, background, experience and attitudes . HA(O E%%E#T " occurs when one attribute of a person or situation is used to develop an overall impression of the person or situation. t is a cognitive bias in which one#s $udgments of a persons character can be influenced by one#s overall impression of him or her .. #ONTRA"T E%%E#T - occurs when an individual is compared to other people on the same characteristics on which the others rank higher or lower %. PRO/E#TION " attributing ones own thoughts, feelings, or motives to another. t is likely to occur in the interpretation stage of perception 0. "TEREOTYPIN, " refers to the $udging someone on the basis of ones perception of the group to which that person belongs.