Attribution Theory

Origin of Attribution Theory

Fritz Heider, an Austrian psychologist, published a book called “The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations” in 1958 which explained the balance theory and the attribution theory. Fritz Heider is considered to be the father of attribution theory.

What is Attribution Theory

Attribution theory explains the cognitive processes behind our interpretations of the environment and the people around us. Internal attributions relate behavior to personal traits, while external attributions link it to situational factors. Understanding attributions correctly will help us interpret actions and events accurately.?Knowing the Attribution theory and how it applies to our lives can also help us identify our biases toward certain individuals and situations.

Attribution Biases

Attribution Theory highlights the various cognitive biases that can distort our interpretations of the situations. Understanding these biases is critical for mitigating their negative effects and enabling accurate and empathetic interpretations of behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE) is known as the correspondence bias, the tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and underestimating situational factors when explaining the behavior.

• To mitigate the negative effect, we should consider situational factors before commenting on someone’s character or abilities.

Example: If a doctor arrives late for the appointment, we might immediately think they are irresponsible (internal attribution) rather than considering they might have been stuck in an emergency case (external attribution).

Actor-Observer Bias

The Actor-Observer Bias is the tendency to attribute our actions to external factors while attributing others’ actions to internal factors.

• By recognizing this bias, one can adopt a more balanced view, considering internal and external factors in the judgments, and minimizing the negative effect.

Example: If a student fails the exams, he might blame the difficulty of the exam (external factors). However, if his peer fails, he will think that they didn’t study hard enough (internal factor).

Self-Serving Bias

The Self-Serving Bias is the tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors to protect our self-esteem and ego.

• To mitigate the negative effect, we need to acknowledge that the role in both successes and failures is crucial for learning and improvement.

Example: If a team wins the game, they might credit their hard work and practice (internal attribution). If they fail, they might blame it on bad luck (external attribution).

Just-World Hypothesis

The Just-World Hypothesis is the belief that the world is fair, and people get what they deserve. This bias leads to victim-blaming, where individuals attribute others’ misfortunes to their actions or characteristics.

• To minimize the negative effect, we need to recognize the complex interplay of factors contributing to life events.

Example: Assuming a victim of poverty didn’t work hard enough or due to the lack of financial resources a potential student may not excel in academics.

False Consensus Effect

The False Consensus Effect is the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.

• We must be aware of this effect to encourage open-mindedness and better communication.

Example: Believing that most people agree with our religious or political views.

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation Bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms our preconceptions. Being aware of confirmation bias can encourage critical thinking and balanced evaluation of information, especially during research and response.

Example: Paying more attention to news stories that align with our views and dismissing others that contradict them.

Emergence of Attribution Theory

Attribution theory has encouraged and enabled additional work of research in many other areas, some of the key works are highlighted in this section:

• Attribution Retraining: Techniques for Changing Attributions and Behavior

The concept of attribution retraining stems from the field of social psychology and is based on the idea that modifying attributions about people and events can lead to lasting changes in behavior and attitudes. Research, such as Forsyth D (1987)[1]. Social Psychology has shown that addressing maladaptive attribution styles can contribute to improvements in various aspects of a person's perception and overall mental health.

• Interpersonal Influence on Consumer Behavior: An Attribution Theory Approach by B. Calder, R. E. Burnkrant (1977)[2]

This study examines how consumer behavior can be influenced by people inferring personal dispositions from observing a consumer's actions. It highlights the importance of understanding attributions about people and attributions for behavior in consumer psychology.

• Attributional Analysis of Achievement-related Behavior by D. Bar-Tal (1978)[3]

Bar-Tal's research provides an in-depth look at how students' performance on learning tasks is influenced by their causal perception of successes and failures. The study underlines the significance of the correspondent inference theory and social cognition in shaping students' academic outlook.

• A review of attribution theory in achievement contexts by S. Graham (1991)[4]

Graham's paper explores how students' self-attributions, emotional reactions, help-seeking behaviors, and peer acceptance influence their academic achievement. It emphasizes the role of dispositional attribution and situational factors in students' understanding of their educational experiences and future behavior.

Current Status of Attribution Theory

Even though attribution theory was developed almost 70 years ago, the relevance of the theory in the current state of industry and work is relevant. There has in a continuous work development based on the foundation of attribution theory, some of the recent works are highlighted in this section:

• An attributional theory of motivation by S. Graham (2020)[5]

Graham discusses how perceived causes of success and failure, such as task difficulty and internal factors, impact individuals' psychological and behavioral outcomes. The paper details the implications for understanding and addressing students' self-serving attributions in educational contexts.

• Attribution Theory: How is it Used? by E. Rubenstein, A. Thoron (2014)[6]

This paper explores how Attribution Theory enhances learning by improving learners' knowledge and comprehension in both formal and informal learning environments. It emphasizes the importance of the attribution theory model in understanding the cognitive processes behind learning.

• Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory, W Timothy Coombs (2007)[7]

Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) is a theory in the field of crisis communication. It suggests that crisis managers should match strategic crisis responses to the level of crisis responsibility and reputational threat posed by a crisis.

Applications of Attribution Theory

Attribution theory has real-life implications for employee behavior, motivation, and overall success. Some practical applications of Attribution theory are:

• Employee Recognition and Motivation
• Collaborative Team Environment
• Performance Feedback and Coaching
• Enhanced Customer Understanding
• Personalization of Products and Services
• Enhancing Brand Loyalty Programs
• Strategic Decision Making
• Coalition and Partnership Formation
• Sports and Team Management
• Mental Health and Wellbeing

Conclusion

The patterns of human behavior are some of the most complicated peculiarities of human nature. The attribution theory as a framework can help us describe and understand how people justify the behavior of others. The theory helps people acknowledge why they tend to make immediate and often wrong conclusions about the behavior of others. We can also see how attribution theory is likely to help explain how professionals if they are not very careful, can make incorrect judgments about the reasons for the performance of others, and themselves at work.

[1] Leary, M. R., & Forsyth, D. R. (1987). Attributions of responsibility for collective endeavors. In C. Hendrick (Ed.),?Group processes?(pp. 167–188). Sage Publications, Inc.

[2] Bobby J. Calder, Robert E. Burnkrant, Interpersonal Influence on Consumer Behavior: An Attribution Theory Approach,?Journal of Consumer Research, Volume 4, Issue 1, June 1977, Pages 29–38,?https://doi.org/10.1086/208676

[3] Daniel Bar-Tal Review of Educational Research, Vol. 48, No. 2 (Spring, 1978), pp. 259-271 (13 pages)

[4] Graham, S. A review of attribution theory in achievement contexts.?Educ Psychol Rev?3, 5–39 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01323661

[5] Sandra Graham, An attributional theory of motivation, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Volume 61, 2020, 101861, ISSN 0361-476X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101861

[6] Rubenstein, Eric D., and Andrew C. Thoron. 2014. “Attribution Theory: How Is It Used? AEC498/WC162, 9/2014”. EDIS 2014 (7). Gainesville, FL. https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-wc162-2014.

[7] Coombs, W. Protecting Organization Reputations During a Crisis: The Development and Application of Situational Crisis Communication Theory.?Corp Reputation Rev?10, 163–176 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049