Attribution Psych 112 Lecture 4 2024 PDF

Attribution Measurement of causal attributions. Consequences of attributions. Motivational basis of attributions. Levels at which attributions can be made. Major theories and biases in attributions.  Attribution Attribution research tends to cluster round a central proposi...

Attribution Measurement of causal attributions. Consequences of attributions. Motivational basis of attributions. Levels at which attributions can be made. Major theories and biases in attributions.  Attribution Attribution research tends to cluster round a central proposition’. This proposition is... that “people's perception of the causes of an event affects what they do and how they feel” (Antaki, 1984 p. 240). Measurement of attributions Heider (1958) INTERNAL/EXTERNAL  Likert scales. Jane scores 95% on a math test. What is the single most important cause of this behaviour? _____________ Internal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 External  Consequences of Attributions Couples who experience marital distress tend to attribute their partners negative behaviour to internal characteristics. Frey and Rogner (1987) found that following accidents, individuals who thought that they were in some way to 'blame’ spent 30 days in hospital. those who thought they were not to ‘ blame’ spent 20 days in hospital.  Optimistic and Pessimistic attributional styles. Pessimistic Style “I cannot seem to decide firmly on a career...this seems to be due to my unwillingness to face reality.” Optimistic Style “My career in the army has been chequered, but on the whole characteristic of the army.”  Both had negative experiences. The pessimist referred to his own enduring qualities (e.g., ‘I cannot seem to decide’, ‘my unwillingness to face reality’). The optimist explained the negative events in terms of external factors (e.g., the army). Men who explained negative events through reference to their own internal, stable, pervasive characteristics tended to have significantly poorer health between the ages of 45 and 60 (i.e., 25 years after the events took place). how we interpret events in our early adult life can affect us later. Motivational Basis of Attributions Self-esteem and Control  Self-Esteem Attributions linked to self-esteem in 2 ways. 1.If we behave positively or successfully and then attribute this to our own internal, qualities we can achieve and maintain self-esteem. 2. If we behave negatively or fail in some way and then we attribute this to the same internal, qualities, then we can suffer a decrease in self-esteem.  Control Attributions can enhance control. If we attribute our successes to our internal characteristics we may believe that we are in control.  Control function not always positive: Victim Blame Rape, AIDS victims, and Cancer patients People derogate victims of negative events.  4 Levels of Analysis Intra personal level Interpersonal level Intergroup level Societal level  LEVEL ONE Focuses on the criteria by which individuals analyze information and come to make an attribution. Major theories ‘Correspondence Inference’ Covariation and Configuration’ When making an attribution, Kelley (1967), claims that information can be derived from sources indicating if Mr Brown is always hostile to you (consistency) if other people are normally hostile to you (consensus) if Mr Brown tends to be hostile to other people (distinctiveness)  LEVEL TWO Deals with face to face attributions. Attributions: no longer seen as rational. Two major types of effect – ‘Actor Observer Effect’ ‘Self-Serving Bias’  The Actor-Observer Effect people tend to attribute the cause of their own actions to EXTERNAL factors they tend to attribute the cause of others actions to INTERNAL causes.  The Self-Serving Bias. people take credit for their successes but not for their failures.  LEVEL THREE Attributions at this level examine the way in which the members of different groups explain behaviour. Hunter, et al. 1991, 1994 looked at how Catholics and Protestants explained instances of Catholic and Protestant violence Protestant violence Catholic violence PROTESTANTS EXPLAIN PROTESTANT VIOLENCE 1. Due to previous murder of two army corporals on the Falls road. 2. He (Michael Stone) was obviously registering a personal protest at the blatant I.R.A funeral trimmings. 3. Michael Stone attacks Milltown in protest. 4. An attempt to rid Ulster of its greatest perverter. PROTESTANTS EXPLAIN CATHOLIC VIOLENCE 1. People at funeral acted like animals. 2. A crowd massacres two people. They are frenzied and seem to be needing blood. 3. Callous murder by some very sick people. No explanation for such action except bloodlust. 4. Sometimes I think they do it for the pleasure of killing. There can't be any other reason. CATHOLICS EXPLAIN CATHOLIC VIOLENCE 1. Spurred on by the fear of another U.V.F attack they (the crowd) swarm round the car in an attempt to get the two men. 2. Crowd beat them up because they fear another episode like that in Milltown. 3. Crowd thought they were being attacked. 4. The mourners thought they were being attacked. CATHOLICS EXPLAN PROTESTANT VIOLENCE 1. He acts in this way because he detests Catholics and because he is a murdering bastard. 2. The mans only motive was hatred. 3. He is an obvious psychopath not caring who he killed. 4. The assassin is acting out of intense hatred, perhaps he is insane. LEVEL FOUR - Societal level A study by Miller (1984). - shows that while individuals from Western cultures favour dispositional explanations individuals from Non-Western cultures tend to favour environmental explanations  Summary Measurement of attributions Their consequences Their motivational basis Levels of attributions Major theories and biases