Präsenzveranstaltung zum Modul 3b

Content:

Why do people explain the same event in such different ways? This one-and-a-half-day seminar in English introduces students to attribution theory within General Psychology and explores how explanations of causes shape emotion, motivation, judgment, and action across topics such as mental health, stereotypes, poverty, environmental behavior, and artificial intelligence.

The fundamental idea behind attribution research is that people do not simply record what happens, but also ask why it happens. In doing so, they draw conclusions about whether outcomes were caused by internal or external factors, whether causes are stable or unstable, and whether they are controllable or uncontrollable.

The seminar will cover classic and influential approaches to causal attribution, including work by Heider, Jones and Davis, Kelley, and Weiner. Particular attention will be given to how causal explanations shape emotion, motivation, expectations, responsibility judgments, and subsequent behavior. Why can the same failure lead one person to shame, helplessness, and withdrawal, but another to renewed effort? Why do people sometimes blame others for outcomes that seem outside their control? And why are explanations of behavior often biased?

In addition to core theories, the seminar will address well-known attributional biases such as the fundamental attribution error, the actor-observer difference, and self-serving tendencies. It will examine how explanations of success, failure, disadvantage, norm violations, and social behavior shape the way people judge themselves and others, and how these explanations can influence blame, helping, persistence, avoidance, or disengagement.

Throughout the seminar, students will engage in interactive discussions and writing activities that connect attribution theory to everyday examples and psychological research, while also helping them develop their own research questions or study ideas.

The seminar is designed for students who are interested in understanding, from the perspective of General Psychology and experimental research, how the simple question of “why?” can shape psychological processes in subtle but far-reaching ways.

Preparation:

No prior preparation is required. However, students who would like a first orientation may consult selected introductory and recent readings on attribution theory. Weiner et al. (1988) will be especially relevant for one key part of the seminar, whereas Graham (2020) and Malle (2022) offer more recent overviews of attribution research.

Optional readings:

Weiner, B., Perry, R. P., & Magnusson, J. (1988). An attributional analysis of reactions to stigmas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55(5), 738–748. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.55.5.738

Graham, S. (2020). An attributional theory of motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101861

Malle, B. F. (2022). Attribution theories: How people make sense of behavior. In D. Chadee (Ed.), Theories in social psychology (2nd ed., pp. 93–119). Wiley-Blackwell.

Target group: The seminar is aimed at students in the BSc. Psychology program interested in the literature on causal attributions.