This document provides well-organized detail about attribution theory.
Attribution: the process by which people use information to make inferences about the causes of their own and other people’s behaviour.
1. Internal attributions: locates the cause as being internal to the person e.g. p...
The Naïve scientist – use scientific explanations to understand behaviour e.g. conducting
experiments and test hypotheses
Heider 1958 – people are motivated by two primary needs
- The need to from a coherent view of the world
- The need to gain control over the environment
To satisfy these needs we act as a naïve scientist: we rationally and logically test hypotheses about
other people’s behaviour
We try to attribute causes to the effects we observe in the social world
Attribution: the process by which people use information to make inferences about the causes of
their own and other people’s behaviour
Heider and Simmel (1944) – demonstrated attribution and naïve scientists
Showed his participants an animation
- 1 participant out of 34 described the film in geometrical terms e.g. a large triangle enters the
rectangle and moves around
- All of the others described the shapes and movements as animate beings (mostly humans)
- Example response: ‘ A man has planned to meet a girl and the girl comes along with another
man. The first man tells the second to go. The second man shakes his head. Then the two
men have a fight.’
Casual attributions help us make sense of a chaotic world. Understanding the causes of behaviours
make it easier for us to predict how people will behave in the future
BUT: this is difficult because people’s behaviour changes in the light of a situation e.g. behaviour
changes depends on context
When making attributions it is important to take account the situation. This means recognise that
any specific behaviour can have an internal cause (disposition) or an external cause (situation)
1. Internal attributions: locates the cause as being internal to the person e.g. personality,
mood, attitudes, abilities or effort
2. External attribution: locates the cause as being external to the person e.g. luck,
circumstances, actions of others
^ 2 ways you can explain someone’s behaviour
Example – Donald Trump makes a weird/rude comment
It can be because of two reasons
Internal attribution: He is a creep. External attribution: he mis-spoke
Example – Toni is late for a meeting
Internal attribution: Toms a bad time-keeper External attribution: There must have been a traffic jam
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller fouziaparveen. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £100.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
