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WorksheetsATTRIBUTION THEORY
Total questions: 29
Worksheet time: 24mins
Three questions can be asked to help determine
whether consensus, consistency and distinctiveness are high or low
Do others engage in the same behavior?
For consensus, ask
Does the person always behave this way when -this particular situation-?
For consistency, ask
Does -person- tend to -behavior-?
For distinctiveness, ask
Do others engage in the same behavior?
If yes consensus is (a)
If no consensus is (b)
“Does (person) always behave this way when (this particular situation)?
If yes consistency is (a)
If no consistency is (b)
“Does (person) always behave this way when (this particular situation)?"
If yes distinctiveness is (a)
If no distinctiveness is (b)
Suppose you are home for the weekend. You want to invite your friend Ralph to stay for dinner, but your
father says no. The question is whether your father refused as a result of internal causes or external
causes. Understanding the reasons for your father’s behavior requires information about three key variables: consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness. Use the terms below to answer the question.
Most people dislike Ralph
High consensus
Most people like Ralph
Low consensus
Dad is always rude to Ralph
High consistency
Dad is rude to all your friends
Low distinctiveness
Dad is rarely rude to Ralph
Low consistency
True or False: Attribution is basically how we explain other people's behaviors
True
False
Which of the following is NOT one of the three sources of covariation described by Kelley’s covariation theory?
Consensus
Free choice
Distinctiveness
Consistency
Shannon sees Stacey arguing with a store clerk about the price of an item. Shannon assumes that Stacey is aggressive. Shannon’s attribution for Stacey’s behavior is an example of...
dispositional attribution
situational attribution
external attribution
the fundamental attribution error
Julia loves French food (escargots, coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, etc.) but she hates foie gras. Her fellow foodie friends say foie gras is delicious, but every time she eats it, she finds it disgusting. According to covariation theory, Julia’s behavior (hating foie gras) is _______ in consensus, _______ in distinctiveness, and ______ in consistency.
high; low; high
low; high; high
low; low; high
high; high; high
Colin and Erin are waiting to meet with their caterer so that they can discuss the menu for their wedding. The caterer is 30 minutes late and still hasn't arrived. Colin suggests that the caterer is probably delayed because of traffic. Erin suggests that the caterer is probably disorganized and unreliable. What kind of attribution is Erin making?
a dispositional attribution
a situational attribution
a personal attribution
a correspondent attribution
People make a(n) ________ attribution for a person's behaviour when the behaviour is consistent, distinctive and when consensus is high.
personal
external
internal
none, they discount
Select the 2 that apply:
We're likely to infer internal / dispositional attributions when:
+ high consistency
Low consensus
High consensus
Low distinctiveness
High distinctiveness
Select the 2 that apply:
We're likely to infer external / situational attributions when the
+ high consistency
Low consensus
High consensus
Low distinctiveness
High distinctiveness
Select the 2 that apply:
We're likely to infer an interaction attribution when:
+ high consistency
Low consensus
High consensus
Low distinctiveness
High distinctiveness
Which of the following quotes best reflects the self-serving bias?
“I aced the paper because I’m a very good writer.”
“I aced the paper because the teacher is an easy grader.”
“I got a rotten grade because I’m a poor writer.”
“I got a rotten grade because I’ve got motivational issues.”
Elaine has just screamed, smacking her daughter's fingers because the adventurous one-year-old has just poked a metal fork into a power outlet. Because consistency information is low, you would probably not think of Elaine as a violent person. This refers to
the discounting principle
Elaine's level of correspondent inference
her daughter's degree of personalism
the consensus effect
A general tendency for people to attribute behavior to stable underlying personality dispositions refers to
correspondence bias
self-enhancing bias
attentional bias
actor-observer effect
'Other people are always fully responsible for what they do', says Mary. Mary's philosophy is an example of the
correspondent inference
fundamental attribution error
self-serving bias
self-fulfilling prophecy
The fundamental attribution error, the actor-observer effect, and the false consensus effect are types of
dispositional traits
biases in attribution
self-serving bias
self-fulfilling prophecies
Bill writes in the student newspaper 'The main library needs a total cleanout; there are far too many books and journals. I'm sure you all agree!' Bill is probably a victim of the ----- ------ effect.
(a)
Hugo claims 'I am an A grade student! The only reason I get Cs is because the lecturer is boring.' You smile wryly at Hugo's ------ ------ bias
(a)
According to Tracey, the living standard in Europe has improved since the establishment of the EU. She says she knows this because she has been reading about the EU in the local paper. Which heuristic bias is she likely to be using?
Regression
Anchoring
Availability
Representativeness
Heidi is an exchange student from Sweden. Her host family told her to avoid the central city park 'because last week a weird-looking man was seen hanging around there'. Heidi, in her final year majoring in psychology, reasons that this advice is an instance of the -----
representativeness heuristic
fundamental attribution error
availability heuristic
self-serving bias
Lauren does not consider herself to be very artistic or creative. When she meets Ben in her Introduction to Psychology class and finds out he plays guitar, she may infer that he is extremely artistic. Lauren is most likely to be using ------ in her thinking.
Anchoring
Availability
Representativeness
Self-fulfilling prophecy
People tend to make (a) attributions when levels of consensus and distinctiveness are low and consistency information is high.
Behavior: John laughs while watching Friends
High Consistency:
John always
laughs at Friends
Low Consistency
John
sometimes laughs
at Friends
High Distinctiveness
John only laughs at Friends
Low Distinctiveness
John laughs
at most comedy TV
programs
High Consensus
Everyone laughs
at Friends
According to Kelley, whether or not someone makes an internal or external attribution depends on consensus, consistency and distinctiveness.
1. Consensus is the degree to which (a) is (b) to that of the actor
2. Consistency is the degree to which the behavior is the same (c)
3. Distinctiveness concerns the extent to which (d) draw the (e) from the actor.
-- Consensus, --Distinctiveness and --- Consistency leads people to make an internal attribution of the actor.
Low, High, Low
Low, Low, High
High, high, Low
High, High, Low
-- Consensus, --Distinctiveness, and --- Consistency lead people to make an external attribution. It is something about the situation or target.
Low, High, Low
Low, Low, High
High, high, Low
High, High, High
