How Do We Explain Our Actions and The Actions of Others?

Attributions Attributions are things we point to as the causes of events, other people’s behaviors, and our own behaviors.

Internal Attributions Internal attributions are explanations of behavior based on the internal characteristics or dispositions of the person performing the behavior. This man did not become an Olympian because he does not have the skill or talent.

External Attributions External attributions are explanations of behavior based on the external circumstances or situations. Major league baseball is run by men, and they do not want to have a woman umpire. Although she has the skills, the league discriminated against her because she is a woman.

How do we decide which attributions are the cause of a certain event? Covariation model – when making attributions, we should look for factors that are present when the behavior occurs and factors that are absent when the behavior does not occur. Developed by Harold Kelley in 1967

Fundamental Attribution Error Tendency to focus on a person’s disposition rather than the situation. People tend to assume that what a person does is based what "kind" of person he is, rather than the social and environmental influences.

Actor-Observer Effect Tendency to attribute your own behavior to situational factors, while attributing other’s to his or her personality traits or dispositions.

Self Serving Bias Explaining personal successes by attributing it to disposition or personality traits and explaining failure by attributing it to the situation.