Attribution theories and errors

in attribution

By Kritvi, Neha and Jeeyanshi

Attribution Theories

How ordinary people explain the causes of behavior and events

When looking at someone’s behaviour, we usually look at personal and situational

factors which contribute to the actions.

We look for consistency, intentionality and accessible explanations.

This is how stereotypes are formed.

Attribution theories are structured theories that are aimed to make sense of how we
interpret the world.
Correspondent inference theory

Systematically accounts for a perceiver's inferences about what an actor was trying to achieve by a
particular action".

Jones and Davis- 1965

Imagine seeing a news report about a killer and 30 others (suicide bomber)

Initial idea- evil - this is the correspondent inference

But should you have judged? Maybe forced?

Dispositional attribution is when we are 100% sure the action was certain.

3 factors will affect the likelihood of making dispositional attributions

Continued

1. Hedonic Relevance- the behavior positive or negatively affects the person

making the attribution
2. Free choice- if the person chose to act out willingly
3. Social desirability- most people may assume that anything non socially
desirable is the against norms
Covariation Model

Refers to the extent to which people behave in similar ways in similar situations

Widely applicable model as it takes both dispositional and situational factors into account.

Makes use of prior knowledge and how they have acted in similar situations

Kelley (1967) claims that we use 3 types of information

1. Consensus- the extent to which other people respond in the same way
2. Consistency- the extent to which people respond in the same situation
3. Distinctiveness- the extent to which the behaviour varies in responses
 Causal schemata model
Causal schemata is a reference to the way a person considers possible causes for a given effect. This method allows a person a
create a causal attribution when actual information is limited.

Causal schemata are our preconceived ideas/ thoughts on the reasoning or causes of an event, or specific behaviour

Using causal schemata allows quick attributions to be made when there is a lack of relevant info

However, causal schemata can reflect the views held by our society and culture. This might influence our own stereotypical views of
individuals/groups of people.

There are many factors that influence the attribution process:

-the amount of information that we have about an individual

-our culture

-our way of thinking

 The fundamental attribution error (FAE)
The FAE refers to the tendency to overestimate the importance of dispositional factors and underestimate the importance of external
or situational factors, when attempting to explain the behaviour of others.

A study was carried out by Jones and Harris in 1967

3 experiments were carried out in which the participants were to estimate the “true attitude” of a person, in relation to a controversial
topic.

Participants either read or listened to a speech concerning the rule of Cuba by Fidel Castro.
The authors of the speeches had been allocated to either a pro-Castro condition, anti-Castro condition, and “free choice” condition.
Despite being well aware that authors had been allocated to each condition by the researchers, listeners and readers inferred a
correspondence between the authors private views and the anti-Castro views expressed in the speech.
This showed how they overestimated the importance of dispositional factors.

Cross-cultural research has, however, made the important discovery that; the FAE is not universal.
The ultimate attribution error (UAE)
- pettigrew’s (1979) ultimate attribution error is considered an extension of the FAE, involving the
tendency to overestimate personal factors and underestimate situational factors, as a cause of
behaviour.
- How stereotypes are formed and maintained at an ingroup level. Contact is less frequent and the
stereotypes are mostly negative.
- UAE served to defend a negative stereotype of a perceived outgroup, by attributing negative
attributions for the behaviour of the outgroup.
- If an outgroup member performs a negative act which is consistent with what the ingroup observed
then, there is an increased tendency to attribute internal.
- However problems occur when an outgroup member performs a positive act, not conforming to the
stereotypes.
- Groups which have negative histories with each other are more likely to display the UAE
Taylor and Jaggi- ethnocentrism and causal attribution
- In 1974 they conducted the first study on intergroup causal attribution, with the hindus
in south india, as there is conflict between hindus and muslims here.
- 2 hypotheses were formed:
1) Hindu participants would attribute positive behaviors of the ingroup to internal factors and positive
behaviors of the outgroup to external factors.
2) Hindu participants would attribute positive behaviors of the ingroup to external factors and negative
behaviors of the outgroup to internal factors.
- There were 2 stages: 1) both the groups were asked to give self judgement ratings on 12 evaluative
characteristics. Then they read 16 one paragraph descriptions. 2) participants imagined a story
where they were in desirable or undesirable social situations, with their own group or the outgroup.
- In all cases, hindus were likely to attribute positive behaviours to their ingroup to internal factors.
- Conclusion- Internal attribution for socially desirable behaviours was higher for ingroup and for socially
undesirable behaviour it was lower for ingroup.