Attribution theory

The theory that consumer assumptions about a product or situation are derived from the consumer's experience, personality, or attitudes. For example, a consumer who has had poor experiences with domestic automobiles and a good experience with an import might attribute the quality of the import to the fact that it is not U.S.-made. Such a consumer will be predisposed toward products that emphasize their foreign origin. Similarly, a product endorsement by a celebrity who is perceived to be unethical will be attributed to the money being paid for the endorsement and not to the celebrity's honest assessment of the product.

The theory that attempts to explore the factors governing the ways in which people explain the doings of others and themselves. The way people attribute behaviour to external causes, is itself subject to social circumstance, or personality factors, and often designed to preserve self-esteem, diminish one's own responsibility, exaggerate the malevolence of others and so forth.

A theory of motivation, which postulates that individuals make common sense explanations of their own behaviour that can affect future behaviour. Inherent in the theory is the belief that an athlete is not a passive performer, but actively processes information about a performance and constantly reflects on why he or she is losing or winning. The attributions that athletes select to explain their performance outcomes may reveal much about their motivation. Attribution theory assumes that athletes postulate reasons for their success or failure in a performance that influences their future level of performance. These reasons or attributions may be arranged on several scales, including attributions that are internal or external to the athlete (see locus of control), and causes that are stable (such as ability) or unstable (e.g. effort). It is generally agreed that successful athletes tend to attribute success to relatively stable, internal causes. See cognitive theory.

Attribution theory is a social psychology theory developed by Fritz Heider, Harold Kelley, Edward E. Jones, and Lee Ross.

The theory is concerned with the ways in which people explain (or attribute) the behavior of others or themselves (self-attribution) with something else. It explores how individuals "attribute" causes to events and how this cognitive perception affects their usefulness in an organization.

Contents 1 Internal versus external 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

Internal versus external

The theory divides the way people attribute causes into two types.

• "External" or "situational" attribution assigns causality to an outside factor, such as the weather.
• "Internal" or "dispositional" attribution assigns causality to factors within the person, such as their own level of intelligence or other variables that make the individual responsible for the event.

The covariation model developed by Harold Kelley examines how people decide whether an internal or an external attribution will be made.

my ride

See also

Psychology portal

• Attributional bias
• Fundamental attribution error
• Causation
• Educational psychology
• Correspondent inference theory
• Locus of control
• Explanatory style
• Attribution (psychology)
• Self-serving bias

References

• Heider, Fritz. (1958). The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-36833-4

• Woolfolk, Anita (2007). Educational Psychology. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc..

• Vockell, Edward L (2001). Chapter 5, Educational Psychology: A Practical Approach.

External links

• Essay on Attribution by Steve Booth-Butterfield of West Virginia University (1996)
• "From Attributions to Folk Explanations: An Argument in 10 (or so) Steps" (Bertram Malle, University of Oregon, 2002).

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