IGNOU : M.COM : MCO 1 : UNIT 6 : Q - 4. Explain Theory of Attribution.

 

Ans. THEORY OF ATTRIBUTION

 Attribution is an important concept for understanding perception, as it is related to judging the causes of others’ behaviour. An inaccurate attribution may lead to inaccurate perception. Our perceptions of what is happening in the environment depend very much on the attributions we make.

Attribution theory describes that when individuals observe behaviour, they attempt to determine whether it is internally or externally caused. Internally caused behaviour is those that are believed to be under the personal control of the individual. Externally caused behaviour is seen as resulting from outside causes over which the individual has no control.

Kelly’s Theory of Causal Attribution explains that in determining whether others’ behaviour stems mainly from internal or external causes, we focus on three types of information: a) Distinctiveness; b) Consensus; and c) Consistency.

 

Distinctiveness is extent to which a person behaves in the same manner in other contexts. If one behaves the same way in other situations, distinctiveness is low; if one behaves differently, distinctiveness is high. If a particular behaviour is unusual, an observer is likely to give the behaviour an external attribution. If the action is not unusual, it will be perhaps judged as internal.

Consensus is the extent to which other people behave in the same manner as the person we are judging. If others do behave similarly, consensus is considered, high; if they do not, consensus is considered low. If consensus were high, you would be expected to give external attribution, and if consensus is low, you tend to give internal attribution.

Consistency is tendency to respond the same way over time. Consistency also may be high or low. The more consistent the behaviour, the more the observer is inclined to attribute it to internal causes and vice-versa. When we make judgements about the behaviour of other people, we have tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors, in case of less than optimum performance by the others. This is called the fundamental attribution error. There is also a tendency for individuals to attribute their own successes to internal factors such as ability or effort while putting the blame for failure on external factors such as luck. This is called the self-serving bias.