Attribution Theory

People create faulty beliefs, perceptions, interpretations. Examples?

"Everybody hates me!" "He did it on purpose!" " I'm just not good at_________"

Uncontrollable attribution to obesity

"I am obese due to genetic reasons; if anyone in my family just LOOKS at food we gain weight!"

Controllable attribution to obesity

"I started overeating in graduate school due to stress and gained 30 pounds"

Stable/unchangeable attribution about not using condoms

"I tend to lose good judgment about condoms when I drink; therefore I will stop picking partners up in bars."

Unstable/changeable attribution about not using condoms

"My new boyfriend says he doesn't believe in condoms; what was I supposed to do? Plus, we were drunk that night."

3 aspects of a Cause

1) Locus of Control 2) Stability 3) Controllability

Assigning causation may help (2)

1) explain the behavior 2) identify the type of intervention needed to achieve behavior change

Why is it important that we attribute a cause to an outcome? (3)

1) to avoid them (if undesirable) or repeat them (if desirable) in the future 2) for the sake of having an explanation 3) because it helps us psychologically deal with a specific event

Effort and mood examples of controllability

Both are internal and unstable, however, effort is controllable while mood is uncontrollable

Examples of controllability being used as a stigma

Cause of obesity is thought to be internal AND controllable, however, can be uncontrollable due to genetic reasons Dental caries (cavities) are also attributed to internal, controllable causes of laziness and poor motivation

Internal causes, such as mood, desire, drive, and effort, are always stable, permanent, and consistent. True or False?

False. they can fluctuate from day to day, from situation to situation

example of how attributing cause is helpful for psychological reasons (HIV diagnosis)

Finding a reason or meaning for the adverse situation is one aspect of a readjustment process people need to go through for their own psychological well-being. They need to find a reason or explanation for why they contracted HIV- need to attribute their situation to something

Attribution Theory founder

Fritz Heider (1950s) Austrian psychologist related to the Gestalt school of thought

Laziness example of controllability

Laziness is internal and stable, however, it is controllable

Article in back of chapter

Occupational low back pain (LBP) Purpose: assess the association between worker attributions and LBP Hypothesis: Attributing LBP to internal causes may increase the worker's perceived control, whereas external attributions may cause distress Method: 278 garment workers, questionnaire and direct observation Results: -workers who scored high in internal attribution were more likely to be knowledgeable of back safety - workers reporting high demand were more likely to report LBP - workers attributing LBP to job tasks were more likely to report LBP - those reporting high supervisor support were less likely to report LBP - workers with annual incomes above $15,000 were more likely to report LBP in the test of both the Demand-Control-Support and Attribution models Conclusion: Attribution theory is useful in the study of LBP

How can therapeutic interventions correct faulty thinking?

Propose alternative thinking processes- we all become what we believe we are

Controllability

Some causes can be controlled or changed and others cannot

Controllability is the basis of

Stigmas and stereotypes

Attribution Theory essence

There is a cause or explanation for things that happen

What did Heider believe that people strive to do?

Understand why others behave the way they do and to determine whether their behavior is caused by internal factors (personality or disposition) or external situations

Using cause stability to explain health behavior for an alcoholic

When an alcoholic relapses, he or she is more likely to attribute this negative behavior to an external, unstable cause (someone else switched out my drink and I drank it but it won't happen again) - external cause was someone - unstable aspect was temporary situation

Internal locus of control

believes events happen as a result of something within himself or herself (e.g., skill, intelligence, desire, commitment, work ethic, values, beliefs), attributes over which the person has control

External locus of control

believes events happen because of things outside the realm of personal control or because of things in the environment

Understanding more about the causes helps us

better understand why people behave in certain ways

Attributions are

causal explanations for our successes & failures

Basis for this theory

causality

if a student fails a course, the case for the poor grade is inevitably

external- often a powerful other (professor)

External causes are divided into those attributed to

fate, luck, or chance powerful others (physicians, dentists, therapists, other health or medical personnel)

Problems arise from

faulty explanations

Stability

how consistent (stable/unstable) or permanent (unchangeable/changeable) the causes are

2 types of locus of control

internal external

if a student does really well in a course, then the cause for the good grade is attributed to

internal (attending class, taking notes, and studying) over which the student has control

Attribution Theory is a cognitive view of ?

motivation people strive to attribute causes to events that happen

Example of person diagnosed with HIV

potential causes are personal behavior (internal causes- not using a condom, sharing unclean needles) or external causes (luck or fate or the actions of others- perinatal transmission or transfusion transmission)

Locus of Control

the extent to which people believe they have control over events in their lives

Whether someone attributes internal or external causes to a given situation

varies from situation to situation