Attribution and Person Perception
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Attribution/ətrɪˈbjuːʃn/ | An explanation of the causes of behaviour or events, such as personal characteristics or situational pressures. |
| dispositional attribution/ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃənl ətrɪˈbjuːʃn/ | dispositional attribution |
| situational attribution/ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃənl ətrɪˈbjuːʃn/ | situational attribution |
| fundamental attribution error/ˌfʌndəˈmentl ətrɪˈbjuːʃn ˈerə/ | The tendency to overemphasise personal characteristics and underestimate situational influences when explaining others' behaviour. |
| Actor-observer bias/ˈæktə ɒbˈzɜːvə ˈbaɪəs/ | Actor-observer bias |
| Self-serving bias/self ˈsɜːvɪŋ ˈbaɪəs/ | The predictable distortions. |
| Explanatory style/ekˈsplænətəri staɪl/ | A person's habitual pattern of attribution — optimistic or pessimistic. |
| Locus of control/ˈləʊkəs ɒv kənˈtrəʊl/ | Locus of control |
| internal/ɪnˈtɜːnl/ | Describing a locus of control in which a person believes outcomes depend mainly on their own actions or abilities. |
| external/ekˈstɜːnl/ | Describing a locus of control in which a person believes outcomes depend mainly on chance, circumstances or other people. |
| mere exposure effect/mɪə ekˈspəʊʒə ɪˈfekt/ | An increased liking for something resulting from repeated exposure to it. |
| self-fulfilling prophecy/self fʊlˈfɪlɪŋ ˈprɒfəsi/ | An expectation that influences behaviour in ways that help bring about the expected outcome. |
| Social comparison/ˈsəʊʃl kəmˈpærɪsn/ | Evaluating one's abilities, opinions or circumstances by comparing them with those of other people. |
When you are late it is the traffic; when they are late they are careless
- The same behaviour gets two different explanations depending on whose it is.
- That asymmetry is not random — it is predictable and has a name.
- Attribution 归因 is how people explain behaviour, their own and others'.
Two places to put the cause
- A dispositional attribution 内在归因 places the cause in the person — their character or ability.
- A situational attribution 情境归因 places it in the circumstances.
- Every explanation of behaviour lands in one of these two, which is why the pair is worth memorising.
Nothing about the behaviour changed- only who is explaining it
Predictable biases
- The fundamental attribution error 基本归因错误 over-uses dispositional causes for other people's behaviour.
- Actor-observer bias 行动者-观察者偏差 is the asymmetry: situational for yourself, dispositional for others.
- Self-serving bias 自利偏差 credits success to yourself and blames failure on circumstances.
Dispositional, situational, or a bias?
Sort each explanation by what it does.
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to...
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It applies specifically to others' behaviour; the self half is actor-observer bias.
Select all the attribution biases the CED names.
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The spacing effect is a memory finding, not an attribution bias.
The fundamental attribution error is specifically about explaining other people's behaviour. Applying it to your own is the other half of actor-observer bias. The exam distinguishes them, so name whose behaviour is being explained.
Seeing outcomes as caused by your own actions is an ____ locus of control.
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Internal locus attributes outcomes to your own actions; external to outside forces.
Explanatory style and locus of control
- Explanatory style 解释风格 is a person's habitual pattern of attribution — optimistic or pessimistic.
- Locus of control 控制点 is whether you see outcomes as caused by your own actions (internal 内控) or by outside forces (external 外控).
- Both are stable tendencies, not one-off judgements.
The mere exposure effect means repeated exposure alone can increase liking.
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No argument or reward is needed — familiarity itself does the work.
Match each person-perception effect to what produces it.
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Familiarity, expectation and comparison each shape perception in a different way.
How we form impressions
- The mere exposure effect 单纯曝光效应 means repeated exposure alone increases liking.
- A self-fulfilling prophecy 自我实现预言 occurs when your belief about someone draws out the behaviour you expected.
- Social comparison 社会比较 is evaluating yourself against others rather than against a standard.
A teacher told that certain students are "about to bloom" treats them differently, and those students improve — though the names were chosen at random. The belief produced the outcome: a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Attributions are dispositional or situational. The fundamental attribution error, actor-observer bias and self-serving bias are the predictable distortions. Explanatory style and locus of control are stable patterns, and mere exposure, self-fulfilling prophecy and social comparison shape how we see others.
Write from a bus that was 25 minutes late
- A classmate arrives after a bus that was 25 minutes late. An observer calls her careless and does not mention the bus.
- Name the error.
A classmate is late after a bus delay of 25 minutes. An observer calls her careless and ignores the bus. What error is that, and what might she herself say?
Other people's behaviour is too readily blamed on character when a situation is available.
What is the observer's careless label an example of?
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The 25-minute delay is a situation. Ignoring it for a character judgment is the fundamental attribution error.