Theories of attribution bias Essay Example for Free

Theories of attribution predetermine EssayAttribution theory is concerned with how individuals interpret events and how this relates to their thinking and behaviour. Heider (1958) was the first to propose a psychological theory of attribution, but Weiner and colleagues (e.g., Jones et al, 1972 Weiner, 1974, 1986) developed a theoretical framework that has become a major seek paradigm of brotherly psychologyFundamental attribution errorThe fundamental attribution error focuses broadly speaking on how muckle explain how and why things happen in a social setting. There is a strong tendency for people to explain their own behavior as a function of international situations, but attribute the behavior of others to internal factors. The fundamental attribution error explains why people ofttimes blame other people for things over which they usually have no control.The term blaming the victim is oft used by social psychologists to describe a phenomenon in which people blame innoce nt victims of crimes for their misfortune. The actor-observer preconception tends to be more pronounced in situations where the outcomes are negative.For example, someone might say they did poorly on an exam because it was very difficult or unfair. But when explaining anothers behavior, they would be more equally to attribute something internal, like not studying enough.Actor observer effectThe actor-observer bias is a term in social psychology that refers to a tendency to attribute ones own actions to external causes, while attributing other peoples behaviors to internal causes. Essentially, people tend to make different attributions depending upon whether they are the actor or the observer in a situation.3.1 Self-monitoring in social encounters- Snyder 87-953.1 self-disclosure in social encounters- wiemann Giles/Jourard713.1 self-presentation in social encounters- duck 88 influence people in positive way