The situation context. B. Attribution theory is a theory used to develop explanations of how we judge people differently, depending on the meaning we attribute to a given behavior. The determination of the cause of behavior depends upon three factors. Distinctiveness refers to whether an individual displays a behavior in many situations or whether it is particular to one situation. Consensus refers to whether or not everyone who is faced with a similar situation responds in the same way with the same behavior.
Consistency refers to the congruence in a person's actions.
There are errors or biases that distort attributions. Fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others. Self-serving bias refers to the tendency for individuals to attribute their own successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors. C. Frequently used shortcuts in judging others. There are five shortcuts we might take in judging others.