Soc 319: Sociological
Approaches to Social
Psychology
Tuesday February 24, 2009
Person Perception (cont’d) &
Attribution Theory
IV. How are Impressions of Others
Formed?
A. Importance of positive and negative evaluations
B. Models of integrating information
1. Averaging model
2. Additive model
3. Weighted average model
C. The importance of first impressions
1. Primacy effect
2. Recency effect
3. Self-fulfilling prophecy
How would we obtain an overall assessment of
our new roommate?
 Friendly
 Good listener
 Financially responsible


Additive Model:
Averaging Model:
+8
+5
+9
+22
+7.3
Next, we incorporate a new piece of information:
 Intelligent
+3
 Additive Model:
+25
 Averaging Model:
6.25
 In the additive model, any new piece of positive information
improves our overall assessment. In the averaging model a
weak, positive piece of new information might lower our overall
assessment.
What kind of football season did RU
have in 2008?













Fresno State
UNC
Navy
Morgan State
WVU
Cincinnati
UConn
Pittsburgh
Syracuse
USF
Army
Louisville
NC State
L 24-7
L 44-12
L 23-21
W 38-0
L 24-17
L 13-10
W 12-10
W 54-34
W 35-17
W 49-16
W 30-3
W 63-14
W 29-23
V. Implications for Policy and Practice
 Medicine
 Law enforcement

Controversies over Amadou Diallo (2002);
Sean Bell (2006)
 Education
 Media coverage of political and social issues
“The Police Officer’s Dilemma”
(Correll et al., 2002)
“The Police Officer’s Dilemma”
(Correll et al., 2002)
I. Attribution Theory
A. What is It?
1. Naïve scientist
B. Dispositional vs. Situational Attributions
1. Subtractive Rule
C. Covariation Principle (Kelley)
1. Three sources of behavior
a. Actor
b. Object
c. Context
C. Kelly Covariation (cont’d)
2. Sources of information for making
attribution
a. Consensus
b. Consistency
c. Distinctiveness
3. Examples
Kelley’s
Cube
(e.g.,
McArthur,
1972)
Is Joe the Comedian funny? Is Mary easily amused? Or is tonight a special
event?
Consensus
Distinctiveness Consistency
Attribution
Low
Few people
laughed
Low
Mary laughs at
everyone
High
Mary always
laughs at Joe
Actor (86%)
High
Everyone
laughed
High
Mary rarely
laughs
High
Mary always
laughs at Joe
Object (61%)
Low
Few people
laughed
High
Mary rarely
laughs
Low
Mary rarely
laughs at Joe
Context (72%)
The laughter is
due to traits of
Mary.
The laughter is
due to Joe’s
comedic skills.
The laughter
reflects
time/place.
D. Sources of Bias in Making
Attributions
1. Correspondence bias (Jones 1979)
a. Explanations
2. Actor-observer effect (“You fell, I was
pushed”)
a. Explanations
3. Self-serving bias (“I’m good, you’re
lucky”)
a. Explanations
E. Attributions for Success and
Failure
1. Dimensions
a. Locus of control
b. Stability
2. Combinations
a. Internal/stable = Ability (your ability at logic &
reasoning)
b. Internal/unstable = Effort (how many hours you
studied the LSAT guide)
c. External/stable = Task difficulty (how difficult
the test is)
d. External/unstable = Luck
Attributions for Success and Failure
Locus of Control
Internal
External
Stable
Ability
Task
difficulty
Unstable
Effort
Luck
Source: Weiner et al., 1972
F. Consequences of Success & Failure
Attributions
1.
Such attributions may affect subsequent
achievement behaviors and motivation; future
achievement expectancies; persistence at similar
tasks; pride or shame felt following success or
failure.
a. Optimistic attribution style. Negative outcomes
attributed external, unstable and specific causes;
and positive outcomes to internal, stable, global
causes.
b. Pessimistic attribution style. Negative outcomes
attributed to internal, stable, and global forces.
(I’m a bad person); positive events in terms of
external, unstable, and specific causes.