Attribution theory
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'''Attribution theory''' is a [[social psychology]] theory developed by [[Fritz Heider]], [[Harold Kelley]], [[Edward E. Jones]], and [[Lee Ross]].
The theory is concerned with the ways in which people explain (or attribute) the behavior of others or themselves (self-attribution) with something else. It explores how individuals "attribute" causes to events and how this cognitive perception affects their usefulness in an organization.
== Internal vs. External ==
The theory divides the way people attribute [[causes]] to events into two types.
* "External" or "situational" [[attribution]] assigns causality to an '''outside factor''', such as the [[weather]].
* "Internal" or "dispositional" attribution assigns causality to factors within the '''person''', such as their own level of [[intelligence (trait)|intelligence]] or other variables that make the individual responsible for the event.
The [[covariation model]] developed by [[Harold Kelley]] examines how people decide whether an internal or an external attribution will be made.
== See also ==
* [[Attributional bias]]
* [[Causality|causation]]
* [[Educational psychology]]
* [[Correspondent inference theory]]
* [[Locus of control]]
* [[Explanatory style]]
==References==
* Heider, Fritz. (1958). ''The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations''. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-36833-4
==External links==
* [http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sbb/comm221/chapters/attrib.htm Essay on Attribution by Steve Booth-Butterfield of West Virginia University (1996)]
* [http://hebb.uoregon.edu/01-02tech.pdf "From Attributions to Folk Explanations: An Argument in 10 (or so) Steps" (Bertram Malle, University of Oregon, 2002).]
[[Category:attitude attribution]]
[[Category:consumer behaviour]]
[[Category:Social psychology| ]]
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