Psych Prep - Unit 7: Social and
Multicultural Psychology Leave
the first rating TEST BANK
Practice Questions with correct
answers Chamberlain College
of Nursing
QUIZ What are attribution theories? Describe the three attribution theories
Focuses on the causal explanations that people generate to explain why a particular event or outcome
occurred.
1. Heider - proposed that people make either dispositional attributions (internal cause) or situational
attributions (external cause)
2. Kelley - when people make attributions, they consider three types of information: consistency
(whether the person behaves the same way over time), distinctiveness (whether the person's behaviour
is unique to the specific situation or stimulus), and consensus (whether other people in the same
situation tend to respond similarly). People tend to make internal attributions for behaviour that are
high in consistency and low in distinctiveness and consensus.
, 3. Weiner - discussed stability in the study of attributions, example: someone looking for work for 6
months
- stable internal factor = lack of ability
- unstable internal factor = lack of effort
- stable external factor = poor economy
- unstable external factor = bad luck
QUIZ What are attributional biases? Describe the three types. QUIZ What are the differences
between them?
not accessing all the relevant information, relying on casual schemas or general beliefs regarding causes
of behaviour
1. The Fundamental Attribution Bias - a bias toward attributing the behaviour of others to internal or
dispositional causes, while underestimating the influence of situational variables (example: "blaming the
victim")
*an attribution about another's behaviour only
2. The Actor-Observer Bias - a situation in which persons attribute their own actions to situational factors
while minimizing the role of dispositional elements
*attributions about one's own as well as another's behaviour
3. The Self-Serving (Hedonic Bias) - when we explain our own behaviour, we tend to attribute our own
successes to internal or personal factors, and our failures to external or situational factors
*attributions about one's own behaviour only for success as well as failure
Multicultural Psychology Leave
the first rating TEST BANK
Practice Questions with correct
answers Chamberlain College
of Nursing
QUIZ What are attribution theories? Describe the three attribution theories
Focuses on the causal explanations that people generate to explain why a particular event or outcome
occurred.
1. Heider - proposed that people make either dispositional attributions (internal cause) or situational
attributions (external cause)
2. Kelley - when people make attributions, they consider three types of information: consistency
(whether the person behaves the same way over time), distinctiveness (whether the person's behaviour
is unique to the specific situation or stimulus), and consensus (whether other people in the same
situation tend to respond similarly). People tend to make internal attributions for behaviour that are
high in consistency and low in distinctiveness and consensus.
, 3. Weiner - discussed stability in the study of attributions, example: someone looking for work for 6
months
- stable internal factor = lack of ability
- unstable internal factor = lack of effort
- stable external factor = poor economy
- unstable external factor = bad luck
QUIZ What are attributional biases? Describe the three types. QUIZ What are the differences
between them?
not accessing all the relevant information, relying on casual schemas or general beliefs regarding causes
of behaviour
1. The Fundamental Attribution Bias - a bias toward attributing the behaviour of others to internal or
dispositional causes, while underestimating the influence of situational variables (example: "blaming the
victim")
*an attribution about another's behaviour only
2. The Actor-Observer Bias - a situation in which persons attribute their own actions to situational factors
while minimizing the role of dispositional elements
*attributions about one's own as well as another's behaviour
3. The Self-Serving (Hedonic Bias) - when we explain our own behaviour, we tend to attribute our own
successes to internal or personal factors, and our failures to external or situational factors
*attributions about one's own behaviour only for success as well as failure
