Deck 3: Attribution and Social Explanation

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a major theory of attribution?

A) Bem's theory of self-perception
B) Rogers' protection motivation theory
C) Heider's theory of naïve psychology
D) Schachter's theory of emotional lability

Answer 1

Rogers' protection motivation theory

Question 2

Ulrike has just bought the latest style of jeans. If we made a correspondent inference, we would think that Ulrike's choice was due to:

A) the style of the jeans because they're fashionable.
B) an ingroup norm for popular kids.
C) nothing that we could be sure about.
D) her personality factor of being extraverted.

Answer 2

nothing that we could be sure about.

Question 3

According to Heider (1958), an example of a dispositional factor is:

A) a transient emotion.
B) a group norm.
C) ability.
D) situations.

Answer 3

ability.

Question 4

People make a(n) ________ attribution for a person's behaviour when the behaviour is consistent, distinctive and when consensus is high.

A) internal
B) none, they discount
C) personal
D) external

Question 5

People usually make causal attributions by deciding if someone's behaviour is the result of ________ factors versus ________ factors.

A) objective; subjective
B) genetic; learned
C) group; intergroup
D) personal; environmental

Question 6

The theory that deals with how people construct causal explanations is:

A) causal identity theory.
B) attribution theory.
C) cognition theory.
D) categorisation theory.

Question 7

Heider and Simmel's (1994) ingenious experiment in which people who were asked to describe the movement of abstract geometric figures described them as if they were humans with intentions to act in certain ways demonstrates that:

A) humans tend to look for causes and reasons for behaviour, and use causal language to comment or explain phenomena.
B) humans think everything has human properties and stable properties, even inanimate objects.
C) humans view themselves as geometric shapes with intentions to think in certain ways to control environments.
D) humans can project their own personalities onto inanimate objects, including geometric figures and predict stable behaviour.

Question 8

A statistical technique, analysis of variance, is an analogy for which model of attribution?

A) Schachter's theory of emotional lability
B) Jones and Davis' theory of correspondent inference
C) Kelley's covariation model
D) Heider's theory of naïve psychology

Question 9

Theories of attribution:

A) are based on criminal psychology.
B) cannot be falsified.
C) are theories of causal inference.
D) are forms of cognitive heuristics.

Question 10

A dispositional attribution is:

A) the process of assigning the cause of our own or others' behaviour to external or environmental factors.
B) the process of assigning the cause of general behaviour to a greater power, such as those explained through religion.
C) the process of assigning the cause of our feelings to other people's behaviour.
D) the process of assigning the cause of our own or others' behaviour to internal factors.

Question 11

Katie thinks the new tutor is not only competent, but gorgeous! Her friends think the same. According to the covariation model of attribution, Katie's judgement:

A) is low in hedonic relevance.
B) is highly consistent.
C) has high consensus.
D) is highly distinctive.

Question 12

According to Heider (1958), an example of a situational factor is:

A) a personality trait.
B) the sound of someone's voice.
C) a noisy environment.
D) an inborn disposition.

Question 13

Using what you know about non-common effects and outcome bias, consider the following example: Josh has to choose between behaviour A and behaviour B. Behaviour A produces only terror and behaviour B produces only joy. Can we tell anything about Josh's disposition based on his chosen behaviour?

A) No, Josh's choice will not tell us anything about his disposition, because the behaviours have few non-common effects
B) Yes, Josh's choice will tell us something about his disposition, because the behaviours have absolutely no non-common effects
C) Yes, Josh's choice will tell us something about his disposition, because the behaviours have few non-common effects
D) No, Josh's choice will not tell us anything about his disposition, because the behaviours have many non-common effects

Question 14

The term 'naïve scientist' as coined by Heider refers to:

A) a therapist who thinks people usually tell the truth.
B) an ordinary person who thinks like an intuitive scientist.
C) someone poorly trained in scientific methods.
D) a first-year student in the physical sciences.

Question 15

Which of the following types of information is NOT used when making a causal attribution according to the covariation model of attribution?

A) Consistency
B) Consensus
C) Distinctiveness
D) Discreteness

Question 16

The term 'external attribution' is also termed ________ in Heider's theory.

A) personalism
B) correspondent attribution
C) dispositional attribution
D) situational attribution

Question 17

Beliefs or preconceptions acquired from experience concerning interaction between distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus are how we develop:

A) internal cause.
B) causal schemata.
C) discounting proof.
D) external attributions.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT an attribution theory?

A) Schachter's theory of emotional lability
B) Turner and Hogg's self-categorisation theory
C) Kelley's covariation model
D) Jones and Davis' theory of correspondent inference

Question 19

In making a correspondent inference, when we attribute someone's behaviour to internal causes, we check that the behaviour:

A) is emotionally desirable with common effects.
B) is an expected behaviour and joyful effects.
C) has common effects and is socially desirable.
D) is freely chosen and hedonic relevance.

Question 20

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:

A) the discounting principle.
B) Elaine's level of correspondent inference.
C) her daughter's degree of personalism.
D) a consensus effect.

Question 21

Self-perception theory implies that we:

A) infer what and how we are by observing what we do.
B) believe that people usually 'get what's coming to them'.
C) take careful note of what others think.
D) have a good sense of what is ideal.

Question 22

Internal and stable attributions for positive behaviours are most common in a close relationship when:

A) both partners are in paid jobs.
B) the relationship is satisfying.
C) the relationship is problematic.
D) there is a power imbalance.

Question 23

A general tendency for people to attribute behaviour to stable underlying personality dispositions refers to:

A) correspondence bias.
B) self-enhancing bias.
C) attentional bias.
D) actor-observer effect.

Question 24

Tom thinks he has just failed an exam. However, he reasons that the class results will be scaled up as the lecturer asked very difficult questions. What kind of attribution has Tom just made?

A) An external-stable one
B) An internal-stable one
C) An external-unstable one
D) An internal-unstable one

Question 25

With respect to how attributions are made, a cognitive miser is a person who:

A) usually has a poorly formed self-concept.
B) habitually uses cognitive heuristics.
C) has a well-concealed locus of control.
D) is mistrustful of the motives of others.

Question 26

Sarah knows she needs to make a chocolate soufflé before she can pass her master bakery class. Which of the following thoughts will Sarah consider first?

A) Her past success or failure of making chocolate soufflés
B) Her emotional memory after making her first chocolate soufflé
C) How others evaluated her baking skills
D) Her relationship with the master chef

Question 27

Rotter's locus of control scale was designed to assess people's:

A) level of defensive car-driving skills in difficult road conditions.
B) manipulative strategies in interpersonal encounters.
C) beliefs about the origins of rewards and punishments they receive.
D) knowledge of heuristics used in political messages.

Question 28

By deciding that something is due to 'luck' a person makes a(n):

A) external-unstable attribution.
B) stable-controllable attribution.
C) external-stable attribution.
D) internal-unstable attribution.

Question 29

Arthur never goes to church, and therefore knows that he is not interested in religion. This is an example of the logic underlying:

A) belief in a just world.
B) emotional lability.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) self-perception theory.

Question 30

According to Weiner's attribution theory, which of the following is required to make an internal attribution for being successful?

A) Whether an action is stable or unstable
B) Whether an action is intrinsic or extrinsic
C) Whether any accompanying emotion is labile or not labile
D) Whether any accompanying emotion is happy or sad

Question 31

Jemima knew little about photography but enrolled in a beginner's course to see what it was all about. She was praised for her first effort, but thought this was just a bit of luck, making an ________ attribution. When she continued to be praised for her later work she concluded that anyone could be a really good photographer. This time her attribution was ________.

A) internal-stable; internal-unstable
B) external-unstable; external-stable
C) internal-unstable; external-stable
D) external-stable; internal-unstable

Question 32

According to Schachter, a person's state of depression can be turned into a feeling of wellbeing. This is:

A) because people's emotions depend on how they label them.
B) a result of cognitive inconsistency.
C) clearly wrong.
D) a result of temporary drug treatment with subsequent psychotherapy.

Question 33

Making attributions in the formation stage of a close relationship is important (Harvey, 1987) because it:

A) make explanations to understand and defuse attributional conflicting.
B) diagnose barometers of dysfunction and analyse the relationship.
C) develops attributing blame to external sources rather than internal.
D) helps partners to make sense of the relationship and communicate.

Question 34

In a close relationship, attributions by both partners become more frequent when:

A) the relationship enters the maintenance phase.
B) there is a power imbalance.
C) the relationship is dissolving.
D) both partners are satisfied.

Question 35

Individuals who are fatalistic and do not believe that they have much control over what happens to them are prone to:

A) negative self-perception.
B) multiple accidents.
C) an external attributional style.
D) disaster.

Question 36

Havila knows that she does not suit the colour green because she does not have anything of that colour in her wardrobe. This illustrates the ideas associated with the theory of:

A) emotional lability.
B) belief in a just world.
C) self-perception.
D) the naïve scientist.

Question 37

According to Weiner, what three performance dimensions do we consider in making an achievement attribution?

A) Locus, susceptibility and cautiousness
B) Locus, stability and controllability
C) Controllability, stability and teamwork
D) Experience, teamwork and fitness

Question 38

People who view aversive events as being caused by internal, stable, global factors have a:

A) positive attributional style.
B) depressive attributional style.
C) sleepy attributional style.
D) suppressive attributional style.

Question 39

According to Schachter's theory of emotional lability, an emotion is based on the label that people give it. Consequently, we should be able to:

A) go to sleep after a hard day of physical labour and wake up feeling just great.
B) forget that the world is a very cruel place regardless of any external situation.
C) feel contented rather than depressed by attributing arousal to an external rather than an internal cause.
D) easily convert a strong emotion into a mild one regardless of our mood.

Question 40

'The economy' as an explanation for someone being made redundant is a(n) ________ explanation ________ of the attributional style questionnaire (ASQ).

A) stable; on the stable/unstable dimension
B) internal; on the internal/external dimension
C) specific; on the global/specific dimension
D) global; on the global/specific dimension

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT a self-serving bias?

A) Self-protection
B) Self-enhancement
C) Self-satisfaction
D) Self-handicapping

Question 42

According to the actor-observer effect, actors tend to attribute their actions to ________ factors.

A) situational
B) internal
C) unstable
D) dispositional

Question 43

'He gave those blokes the finger, no wonder he was beaten unconscious'. This statement is an example of:

A) belief in a just world.
B) self-handicapping.
C) a self-serving bias.
D) a gang norm.

Question 44

John thinks that the reason house prices have gone up so much is 'because of all the immigrants'. John is:

A) not a psychologist.
B) attempting group polarisation.
C) using a self-serving bias.
D) making an intergroup attribution.

Question 45

The ultimate attribution error refers to attributions made for:

A) ingroup behaviour only.
B) both ingroup and outgroup behaviour.
C) neither ingroup nor outgroup behaviour.
D) outgroup behaviour only.

Question 46

Intergroup attributions include attributions for performance that are consistent with:

A) sex stereotypes only.
B) both sex and racial stereotypes.
C) racial stereotypes only.
D) neither sex nor racial stereotypes.

Question 47

The term 'self-handicapping' refers to:

A) consciously sabotaging yourself by not performing up to your potential.
B) underperforming to gain sympathy and affection.
C) a form of mental 'self-mutilation'.
D) seeking some cause other than yourself to account for an anticipated failure.

Question 48

Self-enhancing, self-protecting and self-handicapping actions are:

A) quite unrelated.
B) characteristics of a neurotic personality.
C) very rare events.
D) self-serving biases.

Question 49

As described by Pettigrew (1979), the ultimate attribution error occurs when an internal cause is offered for ________ actions, and an external cause is offered for ________ actions.

A) negative ingroup; positive ingroup
B) positive outgroup; negative outgroup
C) negative outgroup; positive outgroup
D) positive ingroup; negative ingroup

Question 50

An example of the false consensus effect would be when a:

A) teacher gives an inflated grade to a favourite student.
B) novice tennis player sees a wonderful sporting future after just serving an ace when playing against their coach.
C) city mayor wants more skyscrapers on the main street, arguing that this is what the citizens want.
D) child blames you (in your innocence) for spilling drink on their painting.

Question 51

The fundamental attribution error, the actor-observer effect, and the false consensus effect are types of:

A) attributional styles.
B) dispositional traits.
C) biases in attribution.
D) experimenter effects.

Question 52

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:

A) the stimulus overload effect.
B) the false consensus effect.
C) regression-to-the-mean bias.
D) the availability heuristic.

Question 53

According to the actor-observer effect, observers tend to attribute the actor's actions to ________ factors.

A) dispositional
B) external
C) uncontrollable
D) situational

Question 54

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:

A) ultimate attribution error.
B) self-serving bias.
C) differential forgetting.
D) self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 55

When we underestimate the role of context in explaining someone else's behaviour we:

A) make the ultimate attribution error.
B) show the actor-observer effect.
C) demonstrate the illusory correlation.
D) make the fundamental attribution error.

Question 56

'She had popped a party pill and she was really rocking, so of course the guy took advantage of her!' This explanation is a straightforward case of:

A) 'boys being boys'.
B) an external attribution.
C) belief in a just world.
D) 'girls being silly'.

Question 57

The actor-observer effect is a(n):

A) form of self-perception.
B) test of acting ability.
C) extension of the fundamental attribution error.
D) individual differences measure.

Question 58

The false consensus effect is stronger:

A) among younger people than older people.
B) for beliefs that we care about.
C) among males than females.
D) for beliefs that we're unsure about.

Question 59

Alex has been pigging out and doesn't feel particularly fit. He now has doubts about qualifying in rowing at the upcoming nationals. Just before the event he tells his mate that he hasn't been feeling focussed recently. Alex's comments are a case of:

A) self-fulfilling prophecy.
B) belief in a just world.
C) self-other bias.
D) self-handicapping.

Question 60

'Other people are always fully responsible for what they do', says Mary. Mary's philosophy is an example of the:

A) ultimate attribution error.
B) fundamental attribution error.
C) self-serving bias.
D) self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 61

The idea that al-Qaeda are behind almost every world catastrophe you can think of is an example of:

A) a complex socio-historical explanation.
B) deductive reasoning.
C) latter-day rationalism.
D) a conspiracy theory.

Question 62

An example of a group-enhancing bias is:

A) group production blocking.
B) the primordial urges of the id.
C) the ultimate attribution error.
D) correspondence bias.

Question 63

The assumption that the outcomes of behaviour were intended by the person who chose the behaviour is known as:

A) outcome bias.
B) illusion of control.
C) false consensus effect.
D) ethnocentrism.

Question 64

Intercultural misunderstandings about the way that people from different groups behave occur quite frequently. This is likely to occur when people from different cultures:

A) have more holistic or less holistic world views.
B) attribute similar causes for different actions.
C) have different theories of essentialism.
D) are compared according to their age.

Question 65

Ian has just heard how a mate's younger sister is drop-dead beautiful. He traces the origin of the account through the entire rugby team, and finds that the (fourteenth!) version he has just been given, as compared with the original version, is:

A) prejudiced by machismo.
B) shorter and selectively exaggerated.
C) more complex and less distorted.
D) more detailed.

Question 66

Who is responsible for violence in Palestine? Benjamin blames the Palestinians, but Hanif blames the Israelis. Benjamin and Hanif are:

A) following the tit-for-tat rule.
B) showing the actor-observer effect.
C) establishing an illusory correlation.
D) making an ethnocentric intergroup attribution.

Question 67

An ethnocentric intergroup attribution is:

A) a universal tendency to reflect asocial cognition.
B) a universal stereotype of atypical group behaviour.
C) an extension of the self-serving bias for outgroups.
D) an extension of the self-serving bias for ingroups.

Question 68

Elaborated explanations of unfamiliar and complex phenomena that transform them into the familiar and simple and are shared among group members are referred to as:

A) scripts.
B) the collective conscious.
C) stereotypes.
D) social representations.