Attributions and Conflict
The judgments we make about others
determines how we deal with them in
conflict
Our attributions are a part of our
ongoing perception process
Attributions are subject to common
perception biases that increase the
chance of conflict and blame
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Stages in Person Perception and
Attribution
Attention Stage – We attend to someone’s
appearance, behavior, or the context
Snap Judgment Stage – We categorize or
classify that person
Causal Inference Stage – We make
attributions to explain specific behavior
Impression Formation Stage – We form
general idea of the person’s character
Prediction Stage – We predict how the
person will behave in similar situations
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Causal Inferences – Attributions
Causal inferences are attributions we
make to explain why someone did
what they did
Causal attributions vary on two
dimensions
Internal-external
Reactive-purposive
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Internal-External Dimension
Focuses on the perceived source of
causation
Internal attribution sees the person as
the cause
External attribution sees an outside
source (an other, the situation, the
forces of nature) as the cause
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Reactive-Purposive Dimension
Focuses on whether the behavior was
voluntary and intended or involuntary
and unintended
Reactive attributions assume the
behavior was involuntary and
unintended
Purposive attributions assume the
behavior was voluntary and intended
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Sample Attributions
DIMENSIONS
Internal
External
Purposive
The driver cut me off
because he wanted to
switch lanes and he didn’t
care about where I was.
The driver cut me off
because there was a
truck following closely
behind him that he
wanted to avoid.
Reactive
The driver cut me off
because he is a careless
person.
The driver cut me off
because the two lanes
were merging into a
single lane ahead and he
didn’t see me.
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Frames of Reference
Frames of reference color the way we see
things, they are the general orientation we
have to the world
How do we handle new information?
Closure – using our frame to fill in missing
information
Assimilation – changing the information to fit
our frame
Accommodation – changing our frame to fit the
information
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Biases in Perception and Attribution
Halo effect – we assume that,
because a person has one positive
attribute they must have many other
positive attributes
Overgeneralizing – we attribute traits
to people because they share some
characteristics with people who have
those traits
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Biases in Perception and Attribution
Fundamental attribution error – tendency to
automatically blame or credit the person
rather than the situation
Self-serving bias – crediting ourselves for
the good things but blaming the situation
for the bad things
Confirmation bias – Once we have an
impression of the other, we tend to stick to
it (assimilate rather than accommodate in
the face of new information)
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
Biases in Perception and Attribution
False consensus effect – we think
other people are more like us that
they actually are (also known as the
egocentric attribution bias)
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.
The Attribution Cycle in
Destructive Conflict
A behavior occurs
We judge/evaluate the behavior as
purposive and intentional
We assess the other as “difficult”
We look for additional evidence of our
assessment
We “find” it
We feel confirmed in acting out against the
other
We shut down communication with the
other
Tricia S. Jones, Temple University. Copyright protect,
March 2006.