Attribution Theory
Bem, Triandis, Heider
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1. Definition
An inference is made about why
something happened and there two basic
possibilities:
Dispositional
Situational
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2. Self-Perception Theory
A. Overview
“An individual’s attitude statements may be
viewed as inferences from observations of his
own behavior and its accompanying stimulus
variables. As such his statements are
functionally similar to those any outside
observer could make about him. “ - Bem
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Self-Perception (cont’d)
B. Why we self-perceive
Teach children
People think illogically
C. Foot-in-the-door technique
People are more likely to perform large costly
favor for you if they have previously agreed
to perform or have performed a smaller favor
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C. Foot-in-the-door (cont’d)
Petition study (Ugly sign)
Signed petition 55%
Did not sign petition 17%
Conditions for technique to work
No obvious external justification
Sufficient time
Additional effect
Size of initial request
Agreement vs. performance
Positive social labels
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Self-Perception Theory (cont’d)
Overjustification Effects - Undermines
favorable attitudes by providing too much
external justification
External Forces
Informational Forces
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3. Attribution Theory
Overview
The attributions that a person makes affect
how the other’s behavior is perceived
When external factors are strong, we infer
little about internal factors
Vice-versa
Internal factors can be inferred from
consistencies in behavior
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Overview (cont’d)
We tend to see causes of others’ behavior
as internal and ours as external when
negative
Negative information has more weight
than positive
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Types of Attributions
Internal
Habits
Intentions
Ability
External
Luck
Task Difficulty
Situation
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