Attribution Theory

An important assumption of
attribution theory is that people will
interpret their environment in such a
way as to maintain a positive selfimage

Attribution Theory

Attribution theory is concerned with how individual

interpret events and how this is related to their
thinking and behavior.
The motivation theory associated here describes
how people explain, justify, and/or provide excuses
about influences on their motivation - meaning,
their current motivation level is due to some
external reason that has nothing to do with them.

Attribution Theory
Attributions - are the reasons we we
give for our own and others
behaviors.
People are motivated to
understand the causes of
behavior. Attribution theory seeks
to explain how and why people
make these causal attributions.

Why is this baby

smiling?

Fritz Heider argued that there are two

general types of attributions that people
make:

Personal attributions
Situational attributions

Personal
attributions
Explanations

in terms of personal
characteristics. For example:
The baby must be a happy
baby.
Other examples:
He scored well on the exam
because he is smart.
She tripped because she is
clumsy.

Situational
attributions
Explanations

in terms of situational
factors. For example:
Someone must have just played
with the baby .
Other examples:
He scored well because it was an
easy test.
She tripped because a squirrel ran
in front of her.

Attribution Theory
Suggests

that motivation is
influenced by the reasons we
give ourselves (attributions) for
our successes and our failures
Suggests four attributions:
ability, effort, task difficulty, luck

Attribution Theory

Ability is a relatively internal and stable factor over which the

learner does not exercise much direct control.

Task difficulty is an external and stable factor that is largely

beyond the learner's control.

Effort is an internal and unstable factor over which the learner

can exercise a great deal of control.

Luck is an external and unstable factor over which the learner

exercises very little control.

Attribution Theory
These

four attributions (ability,

effort, task difficulty, luck) can
be categorized along two
dimensions: locus of control
(internal, external) and stability
(stable, unstable)

Attribution Theory
Internal

External

Stable

Ability
(U)

Task Difficulty (U)

Unstable

Effort
(C)

Luck
(U)

Locus Of Control

Internal Locus of
Control
Individual believes
that his/her behavior
is guided by his/her
personal decisions
and efforts.

External Locus of
Control
Individual believes
that his/her behavior
is guided by fate,
luck, or other
external
circumstances

Attribution Theory

Elements of Attributions cont.

Stability
Unstable,

changeable*

Temporary state
Stable,

unchangeable*

Enduring Trait

Responsibility
Controllable*

Personally accountable
Uncontrollable*

Blaming other people, things, luck, etc.

Attribution Theory

When one succeeds, one attributes

successes internally (my own skill).
When a rival succeeds, one tends to credit
external (e.g. luck).
When one fails or makes mistakes, we will
more likely use external attribution,
attributing causes to situational factors rather
than blaming ourselves.
When others fail or make mistakes, internal
attribution is often used, saying it is due to
their internal personality factors.

Attribution Theory
Motivation

is high when we attribute

our successes and failures to
internal factors like ability and effort
Motivation is low when we attribute
our successes and failures to
external factors like task difficulty
and luck

Attribution Theory
Suggests

motivation will decrease

when we attribute our failures to
stable factors like ability and task
difficulty
Suggests motivation may increase
when we attribute our failures to
unstable factors like effort

3-Stage Process

Attributing behavior is a 3-stage process:

You must observe the behavior whether it is your own behavior or the behavior
of someone else.
You must determine whether the behavior being observed is intentional.
You attribute the observed behavior.
External Cause or Internal Cause?
Internal Cause. Internal causes are usually controllable. For example, a coworker just received a promotion. You believe the reason for her promotion
was her hard work, dedication, and skills. You have thus attributed internal
causes to her promotion.
External Cause. External causes are often not controllable, such as luck.
For example, let's say your co-worker just received a promotion. You believe
she received her promotion because the owner of the company is her father.
You have attributed an external factor as the cause of her promotion.

The Fundamental Attributon Error

is that we overestimate the power
of the person and underestimate
the power of the situation.
The availability heuristic
partly explains why this error occurs.

Why do people make the

fundamental attribution error?
The situation is not salient when
people make attributions for the
behavior of others, but the situation is
salient when making attributions for
ones own behavior.
Thus, people are more inclined to take
the situation into account when
explaining their own behavior.

Self-serving bias

People do not make objective situational /

personal attributions for their own
behavior, though.
They tend to attribute their successes to
dispositional factors, and their failures to
situational factors.
For example: I did well on the test
because I am smart, or I did poor on the
test because I didnt get enough sleep.

How do people make

attributions?

Kelley argued that people take three

factors into account when making a
personal vs. situational attribution:
Consistency: Is the baby always
smiling?
Distinctiveness: Are there occasions on
which the baby doesnt smile?
Consensus: Do all babies smile?

If consistency is high, and distinctiveness /

consensus are low, then a personal attribution
is more likely:
The baby is always smiling, never displays other
emotions (like crying), and this is not typical of
babies in general. Therefore, this baby must have a
happy disposition.

If consistency is high, and distinctiveness /

consensus are also high, then a situational
attribution is more likely.
The baby is always smiling when tickled, but
displays different emotions in other circumstances.
Smiling when tickled is typical of all babies.
Therefore, this baby is smiling because it was
tickled

Why Is Attribution
Theory Important?

Attribution theory is important for organizations because it

can help managers understand some of the causes of
employee behavior and can assist employees in
understanding their thinking about their own behaviors. If you
can understand why you behave a certain way, and why
others around you do so, then you have a better
understanding of yourself, others, and your organization. The
perception of the causes of a certain behavior may affect the
judgment and actions of both managers and employees. It
may also play a significant role in motivation.

If a manager attributes an employee's poor

performance to a lack of effort, then the outcome is
likely to be negative for that employee; he or she
may receive a poor performance appraisal rating
or even be terminated from the job.
Conversely, if a manager perceives that an
employee's poor performance is due to a lack of
skill, the manager may assign the employee to
further training or provide more instruction or
coaching.

Attributions also may influence employee motivation.

Employees who perceive the cause of their success
to be outside of their control may be reluctant to
attempt new tasks and may lose motivation to
perform well in the workplace.
Conversely, employees who attribute their success to
themselves are more likely to have high motivation
for work.
Thus, understanding attributions that people make
can have a strong effect on both employee
performance and managerial effectiveness

Choice leads to stronger

attributions of liking.

Guess?
Motivation is driven by rewards and
punishments or carrots and sticks.
Focuses on the content of motivation, or the
needs that motivate us to take action and
achieve goals that satisfy these needs.
The theory suggests that we perceive
behaviour to be determined by either
internal or external forces.