What is an internal unstable attribution?
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Explanations for behavior that stress something about the person (internal attribution) or something about their environment (external attribution). Show
IntroductionAttribution theory examines how people determine the causes of behavior. Many of the dominant conceptualizations within attribution theory focus on how an individual (the social perceiver) understands another person’s (the actor) behavior (Jones and Davis 1965). However, attribution theory also seeks to explain understanding of one’s own behavior. Internal attributions are explanations that stress something about the person, such as their traits, abilities, and physical characteristics. External attributions are explanations that stress environmental or situational factors, such as task difficulty, social influences, and the physical characteristics of a particular environment (Ross 1977). Fundamental to attribution theory is this “internal-external or disposition-situation... This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. Buying optionsChapter EUR 29.95 Price includes VAT (Singapore)
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Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions Copyright information© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG About this entryCite this entryGerace, A. (2020). Internal and External Attributions. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_2301 What is an example of an internal attribution?An internal attribution (also known as a dispositional attribution) is when an individual uses a personal reason as the cause for a situation or event instead of an external (or environmental) attribution. For example, a person gets a bad grade on a test. They question themselves as to why they got such a bad grade.
What is an example of an internal unstable cause of behavior?-Boredom is an internal, unstable cause of behavior that can be willfully changed.
What is an example of external unstable attribution?A student who fails an exam, therefore, would attribute their failure to something about themselves and to something they couldn't change (such as their level of intelligence). In the event of success, they would attribute the outcome to something external and unstable such as luck.
What is internal stable and global attributions?Stable attributions are those that we think will be relatively permanent, whereas unstable attributions are expected to change over time. Global attributionsare those that we feel apply broadly, whereas specific attributions are those causes that we see as more unique to particular events.
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