Download Attribution Theory

06.01 Social Thinking: What do you think about that?
It is easy to think. We do it every day. Let’s think about this (see you are about to think):
“I think I should call my grandmother. It has been a while since we have spoken.” You
think about calling her. Now, you head off for your day. You attend class, study for a quiz,
maybe go to your part-time job, talk to your girlfriend or boyfriend, and head to sleep. Oops, you
forgot to call your grandmother.
Behaving, or carrying out the behavior, is a difficult thing to do. Why do we have
difficultly acting upon a thought?
In this lesson we will explore some of the reasons why we have difficulty acting on a thought.
Objectives: After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
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Construct examples of the attribution theory.
Compare and contrast the effect of attitudes and actions on behavior.
Formulate personal experiences related to social psychology.
06.01 Social Thinking: What do you think about that?
Thinking Socially
Social psychology comes from the belief that our lives are connected by a thousand
invisible threads. It is believed that if a butterfly flaps its wings in one place that this flapping of
the wings can be felt all over the world. How can that be? The actual flapping of the butterfly’s
wings cannot be felt in the United States if the wings were flapped in Europe. However, the result
can be. The flapping of its wings may create tiny changes in the atmosphere which can lend itself
to tornados and other natural disasters. Clearly this little flap of a butterfly’s wings could not
cause a tornado, much less a natural disaster; however, it is a contribution to the world—to
society. The social psychologists explore these connections by studying the scientific ways in
which humans influence, think about, and relate to one another. In order to understand social
psychology, it is very important you understand the theories associated with it.
Actions and Attitudes
Attitudes are beliefs and feelings that predispose (Predispose To make (someone)
inclined to something in advance.) our reactions to objects, people, and events. If we feel
someone is nice, we act friendly. Steve Biko, a South African civil rights activist, said “change
the way people think and things will never be the same.” This is the power of persuasion. Do our
attitudes affect or guide our actions?
Social Psychology Theories
Attribution Theory: The ways in which people explain (or attribute) the behavior of others or
themselves (self-attribution) with something else.
Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency for people to over-emphasize dispositional, or
personality-based, explanations for behaviors observed in others while under-emphasizing
situational explanations.
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon: The tendency for people to comply with some large request
after first agreeing to a small request.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Proposes that people have a fundamental cognitive drive to
reduce dissonance by modifying an existing belief, or rejecting one of the contradictory ideas.
Attribution Theory
How are you inspired? Are you inspired by people who give up their six-figure incomes
to build schools in underdeveloped regions? Are you inspired by men and women who fight for
the freedom of the United States? Are you inspired by a little boy or girl who suffers from an
illness yet smiles from ear to ear? Think about these questions. How do you explain their choice
to live an extraordinary life? The attribution theory is the way in which we explain other
people’s behavior.
Attribution Theory: The ways in which people explain (or attribute) the behavior of others or themselves
(self-attribution) with something else.
We can attribute (Attribute: The cause; what caused the behavior.) the reasons to be one of the
following:
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Situational
Dispositional (Dispositional: The predominate trait; the emotional outlook of a person.)
Let’s look at the following example:
Steve stepped on Cathy’s shoe. From a situational perspective, we would note that
Steve was probably in a rush and he accidentally stepped on her foot. If, on the other
hand, we reason that Steve is always mean—we are speaking about his disposition or
attitude. The fact is that Steve stepped on Cathy’s shoe. What do you attribute to his
behavior? How you look at it is described in social psychology as the attribution theory.
Let’s look at another example:
John is a student who never talks in class. He does have many friends in the class,
yet he remains quiet. John's teacher describes John as a quiet student who is focused. One
day, the teacher took the class on a field trip. The teacher was surprised to see John was
screaming out of the bus window. She overestimated the fact that John may not speak in
class as he does not like to talk in this environment. The teacher underestimated the
situation and overestimated John’s disposition. This is called the fundamental
attribution error.
Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency for people to over-emphasize
dispositional, or personality-based, explanations for behaviors observed in others
while under-emphasizing situational explanations.
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
Foot-in-the-Door: The tendency of people to comply with a larger request after first agreeing to a smaller
request.
Tommy asks his mom if he can stay out five minutes past curfew. His mom says, “Sure.” The
next weekend, Tommy again, asks, “Mom, can I stay out five minutes more that I did last week?” His
mom thinks about this for a moment. She thinks to herself that this is actually 10 minutes past curfew, but
10 minutes is really no big deal. She says, “Sure, Tommy.” The following weekend comes along and
Tommy (feeling really confident) asks, “Mom, do you think I can come home 20 minutes later than I did
last weekend?” Mom realizes that this is really 30 minutes past the original curfew. She thinks to herself,
that the 10 minutes was no big deal so 20 more would be fine. She lets Tommy know that this, too, is
fine. In social psychology what Tommy did is called the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Proposes that people have a fundamental cognitive drive to
reduce dissonance by modifying an existing belief, or rejecting one of the contradictory ideas.
The cognitive dissonance theory is another theory that supports the view that attitudes follow
behavior. The more dissonance (out of harmony; uncomfortable or out of balance) we feel, the more
motivated we become to find the consistency and thereby changing our attitudes to justify the act.
Leon Festinger: A prominent social psychologist, responsible for the development of
the theory of cognitive dissonance.
Devon’s family moved across the county. At Devon’s former school, he was considered popular
amongst his peers and he never skipped school. He believed that students who skipped school were not
"good people," nor did they appreciate the education they were receiving. Upon Devon’s arrival at his
new school, he was greeted by a small group of students. This group of students was popular and they
earned good grades. Devon quickly learned that this group of students skipped school just about every
Friday. The following Friday, Devon joined his new group of friends away from school. As Devon began
to skip school, his thoughts began to shift to, “skipping school does not make you bad.”
Devon’s experience is an example of what social psychologist, Leon Festinger, coined as
the cognitive dissonance theory. Devon had a thought (skipping school was bad) but his behavior
did not match this thought. So, he changed his thoughts (skipping school does not make you bad)
to match his behavior.
Without any doubt, actions can affect attitudes. One explanation is that we feel motivated
to justify our actions. An example would be “if I chose to do it (or to say it), I must believe it.”
The more dissonance (Dissonance An uncomfortable feeling or stress caused by holding two
contradictory ideas simultaneously.) we feel, the more motivated we become to find the
consistency and thereby changing our attitudes to justify the act.
Many experiments have confirmed cognitive dissonance by making people feel
responsible for their behavior when it is not consistent with their attitudes and has foreseeable
(Foreseeable To know before.) consequences.
Example: You are offered $10.00 to help a researcher by writing an essay that supports something you
do not believe—textbooks are needed for all classes. Now, you feel responsible as you gave your
word to help the researcher. However, you do not believe textbooks are needed for all classes.
So, what do you do? How would you reduce the uncomfortable feeling of your cognitive
dissonance? One way would be to believe what you are writing (the phony words you agreed to
write for the $10.00). Now, your words become your reality.
Assessment 06.01 Social Thinking: What do you think about
that?
1. Complete the reading for this lesson.
2. Create four examples of the social psychology terms presented in the lesson, as they
relate to your own life.
3. Submit your social psychology examples in Assignment "06.01 Social Thinking: What do
you think about that?"
Task
Points
A four to six sentence paragraph of an example in your own life of the attribution theory
that demonstrates your understanding of the term.
10 points
A four to six sentence paragraph of an example in your own life of the fundamental
attribution error that demonstrates your understanding of the term.
10 points
A four to six sentence paragraph of an example of the foot-in-the-door phenomenon in
your own life that demonstrates your understanding of the term.
10 points
A four to six sentence paragraph of an example of the cognitive dissonance theory in
your own life that demonstrates your understanding of the term.
10 points
Proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.
10 points
By now, you should be familiar with attitudes and actions regarding thinking socially.
This link will help clarify attribution and attribution error:
http://knowledgeforgrowth.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/attribution-theory-and-the-fundamental-attribution-error/
In this assessment, you will be involved in introspection (Introspection: Contemplation of one's
own thoughts, feelings, and sensations; self-examination.).
Create an example for each of the 4 terms as it applies or relates to your life. Each example
must be a minimum of four to six sentences in length and convey an understanding of the term.
1. Attribution theory
2. Fundamental attribution error
3. Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
4. Cognitive dissonance theory
Attribution Theory Example:
My brother Sam always likes to joke around. One day, he placed a pretend frog in my
mom’s bed. My mom laughs every time Sam plays a practical joke. I attribute Sam’s
behavior to his disposition as he is just a funny guy always wanting to make people
laugh.