Attribution Theory: AnOverview

In 1958, Fritz Heider argued that in order to make sense of our complex world, a fundamental function of the human mind is devoted to understanding everyday events and behavior. This understanding allows us make predictions and plans, and arrive at beliefs that will provide for a higher likelihood of success in our actions. A key part of this argument is in the distinction between personal and situational attributions (also known as internal and external attributions, respectively). Personal attributions refer to responsible factors for a given situation lying within the individual, whereas situational attributions refer to factors outside of the individual. Examples of the former include attributing outcomes to personal characteristics, such as talent, intelligence, and personality, whereas the latter involve attributing outcomes to chance, luck, and situational pressures (Heider, 1958). This theory suggests that we use "common sense" to make decisions about the world, and that our decisions are based on some form of logic (whether it be faulty or not). Jones and Davis (1967) argued that in unfamiliar situations, where information is limited, or there is a high degree of ambiguity, people look for cues to make causal attributions for their own behavior, such as role requirements and social desirability.

There are two common attribution errors that must be discussed in this thesis to set the stage for the experiments conducted. First, the fundamental attribution error (or fundamental attribution bias), is "the tendency to underestimate the importance of situational determinants and overestimate the degree to which actions and outcomes reflect the actor's dispositions" (Ross, 1977, p. 193-194). Simply put, observers are likely to overestimate the importance of personal factors over external factors in a given situation when observing another individual. Conversely, self-serving bias allows for a much more edifying view of causality. The self-serving bias refers to the tendency of individuals to view events in a way that preserves or builds their self-esteem (Petty, 1997, p. 138). Success would be attributed to positive internal characteristics, such as effort and talent, whereas failures would be seen as flukes, or incidents beyond the control of the individual, or the fault of another. This becomes a convenient way to view the world that allows an individual to maintain or build a positive self-image.

Works Cited

Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings. InEd (Ed.), Advances in ExperimentalSocial Psychology New York: Academic Press.

Jones, E.E. & Davis, K.E. (1965). From acts to dispositions: the attribution process in perception. In. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology New York: Academic Press.

Petty, R.E., Wegener, D.T., & Fabrigar, L.R. (1997). Attitudes and attitude change. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 609-647.

Heider, F. (1958). The psychology of interpersonal relations. New York, New York: Wiley.