attribution

Question 1

attribution research

Answer 1

attribution research tends to cluster around a central proposition: that people’s perception of the causes of an event affects what they do and how they feel

Question 2

measurements of attributions

Answer 2

Liket Scales:
what is the single most important cause of… good scores on your test
Females - external attributions
Males - Internal attributions

Question 3

Consequences of Attributions

Answer 3

couples w marital distress tend to attribute partner’s negative behaviour to internal characteristics - should make increased external attributes

following accidents, individuals who thought they were to blame somehow spent 30 days in hospital (internal) yet those who did not think this (external) spent 20 days = internal negative type attributes impair recovery

Question 4

Optimistic & Pessimistic attributional styles

Answer 4

• appear to be correlated w death
  pessimistic = internal factors to blame
  optimistic = external factors to blame

Question 5

how we interpret early life events can affect us later…

Answer 5

men who explained negative events through reference to their own internal attributions tend to have significantly poorer health (45-60yr olds)

Question 6

attributional styles are -

Answer 6

learned, you can train yourself

Question 7

self-esteem attributions are linked to self esteem in 2 ways:

Answer 7

1: if we behave positively/ successfully and then attribute to our own internal qualities we can achieve self - esteem

2: if we behave negatively/ fail and then attribute to the same internal qualities we can suffer a decrease in self - esteem

Question 8

attributions can enhance control:

Answer 8

if we attribute our success to our internal characteristics, we may believe that we are in control

Question 9

is the control function of attributions always positive?

Answer 9

no - victim blaming (aids, cancer, rape)

Question 10

intrapersonal level of analysis

Answer 10

focuses on how individuals analyse info and come to make an attribution - ‘correspondence inference’

Kelley: claims that information can be derived from sources indicating consensus, consistency, distinctiveness

Question 11

interpersonal level of analysis

Answer 11

focuses on face to face attributions - no longer seen as rational

The Actor Observer Effect - attribute own actions to external factors and others to their internal factors

The Self Serving Bias - people take credit for their success but not failures

Question 12

Intergroup level of analysis

Answer 12

examine the way in which group members of different groups explain behaviour

Hunter et al. Catholics and Protestants explain instance of their violence

Question 13

Societal Level of analysis

Answer 13

Miller: individuals from western cultures favour dispositional explanations whereas individuals from non-western cultures favour environmental explanations

Question 14

Proximity & Propinquity

Answer 14

we are more likely to befriend/ like people who are in close proximity

McKnight: 83% Aus met ‘special partner’ in familiar social setting, 6% in casual social setting

Question 15

Zajonc - The Mere Exposure Effect

Answer 15

repeated exposure to any stimulus makes it more appealing

Question 16

evidence for Zajonc

Answer 16

Mita et al. claimed that if it was merely repeated exposure to a stimulus that enhanced our liking, then we should prefer photos of our faces reversed, and our friends should prefer a normal photo instead

results support this idea (70%)

Question 17

Reis - proximity

Answer 17

Proximity does not always work as there are other factors that lead to antagonism

if the initial interaction is negative, and this experience is reinforced - dislike occurs

Question 18

how does emotional arousal relate to attributions?

Answer 18

research indicates that people who are emotionally aroused rate others as more attractive

White et al. found that men who ran on the spot rated women as more attractive

Dutton & Aaron: people expecting electric shocks rated opposite sex as more attractive

Question 19

Emotional Arousal Attribution - evidence

Answer 19

Dutton & Aaron
Those who crosses a deep ravine on narrow rope bridge were more likely to ask for a date (of the women they met on bridge as they were more emotionally aroused)

People attribute butterflies in stomach to the other person not their anxious emotions

Question 20

Is physical attractiveness important in relation ships?

Answer 20

Yes, although people generally refuse to admit it.

Walk et al. out of 32 desirable traits for partners, men ranked physical appearance 12th and women 22nd

Walster et al. measured reaction to partners blind dates and attractiveness by independent observers. Results showed that more attractive you were rated by observers, more liked by your date.

Question 21

Gender differences - on importance of physical appearance

Answer 21

men: (both gay/ straight) focussed on physical attractiveness of potential partners

women: (both lesbian/ straight) focussed on psychological characteristics

Whipple: 90% men say yes to sex when asked by an attractive women, 10% of women do - when vice versa

Question 22

Benefits to attractiveness…

Answer 22

• adults less aggressive to attractive children
• attractive people more likely to be hired
• attractive students more likely to get better grades

Ravin & Rubin: more likely to be pronounced dead if you are ugly

Question 23

Cultural Effects on Beauty

Answer 23

Ingleby: fat and diseased child, by Western standards, are considered beautiful in other cultures

Many studies have shown that people tend to be attracted to others, similar to themselves