PSYB10H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Fundamental Attribution Error, Independent People, Explanatory Style
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Attribution theory: a set of concepts explaining how people assign causes to the events around the(cid:373) a(cid:374)d the effe(cid:272)ts of people(cid:859)s (cid:272)asual assess(cid:373)e(cid:374)ts. From acts to dispositions: inferring the causes of behavior: Casual attribution: linking an event to a cause, such as inferring that a personality trait is responsible for a behavior. Casual att(cid:396)i(cid:271)utio(cid:374) is the (cid:272)o(cid:374)st(cid:396)ual p(cid:396)o(cid:272)ess people use to e(cid:454)plai(cid:374) (cid:271)oth thei(cid:396) o(cid:449)(cid:374) a(cid:374)d othe(cid:396)(cid:859)s behavior. Understanding casual attributions is crucial to understanding everyday social behaviors. Attributions are a constant part of mental life. Systematic research on casual attribution has shown that peoples explanations have tremendous consequences in a number of areas, including health and education. Explanatory style: a pe(cid:396)so(cid:374)(cid:859)s ha(cid:271)itual (cid:449)a(cid:455) of e(cid:454)plai(cid:374)i(cid:374)g e(cid:448)e(cid:374)ts, t(cid:455)pi(cid:272)all(cid:455) assess alo(cid:374)g th(cid:396)ee dimensions: internal/external, stable/unstable, and global/specific. To assess explanatory style, participants are asked to imagine 6 different good events that might happen to them and 6 bad events and to provide a likely cause for each.
