Attribution Theory
and Person Perception
Explore how we explain behavior, form impressions of others, and navigate the cognitive biases that shape our social world.
What is Attribution?
When you see someone trip on the sidewalk, your brain instantly generates an explanation: "They're clumsy" or "The pavement was uneven." This process of assigning causes to behavior is called attribution.
Attribution theory, pioneered by Fritz Heider in the 1950s, examines how ordinary people become "naive psychologists" who construct causal explanations for everyday events.
Two Types of Attributions
Why Attribution Matters
The attributions we make shape our emotions, relationships, self-concept, and even legal decisions. Misattributions can lead to prejudice, conflict, and poor judgment.
Kelley's Covariation Model
Harold Kelley (1967) proposed that we use three types of information to decide whether behavior is caused by the person or the situation:
Applying the Covariation Model
The Fundamental Attribution Error
The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) is our tendency to overestimate dispositional factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining other people's behavior.
FAE vs. Actor-Observer Bias
| Fundamental Attribution Error | Actor-Observer Bias | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Judging others' behavior | Comparing how we judge self vs. others |
| Bias Direction | Overestimate internal causes for others | Internal for others, external for self |
| Example | "He failed because he's lazy" | "He failed because he's lazy, but I failed because the test was unfair" |
| Scope | One-directional (others only) | Two-directional (self AND others) |
The Self-Serving Bias
The self-serving bias is our tendency to attribute successes to internal factors (our skill, effort) and failures to external factors (bad luck, unfair circumstances).
What is Person Perception?
Person perception refers to the processes by which we form impressions of other people. We integrate information from appearance, behavior, context, and prior expectations to build a mental model of who someone "is."
Primacy and Halo Effects
How to Analyze Attributions
Example 1: The Late Student
Example 2: Kelley's Model in Action
Conclusion: High consistency + high distinctiveness + high consensus = external attribution. The cause is the comedian, not Maria.
Example 3: Self-Serving Bias
Common Mistakes
Summary of Key Biases
| Bias | Definition | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamental Attribution Error | Overestimate internal causes for others' behavior | One-directional (others only) |
| Actor-Observer Bias | Internal for others, external for self | Two-directional (self + others) |
| Self-Serving Bias | Credit success internally, blame failure externally | Self-esteem protection |
| Halo Effect | One positive trait colors overall impression | Person perception bias |
| Primacy Effect | First information has outsized influence | Order-dependent impression |
Question 1 of 5
A student fails an exam and thinks, "The test was unfair and the room was too noisy." This is an example of which type of attribution?
Question 2 of 5
According to Kelley's covariation model, if a behavior has high consistency, high distinctiveness, and high consensus, we are most likely to make which type of attribution?
Question 3 of 5
You see a stranger trip and fall in a store. You immediately think, "How clumsy." This best illustrates which concept?
Question 4 of 5
A job candidate is physically attractive, and the interviewer assumes she must also be intelligent and hardworking. This is an example of the:
Question 5 of 5
After winning a chess match, Alex says, "I played a brilliant game." After losing the next match, Alex says, "My opponent got lucky." Which bias does this illustrate?