This document discusses perception and attribution theory. It defines perception as how individuals give meaning to their environment by interpreting sensory impressions. Attribution theory seeks to explain how people make judgments of others based on whether they attribute behaviors to internal or external causes. There are several factors that influence perceptions and attributions, including personal characteristics, attitudes, motives, expectations, distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency of behaviors. People also tend to attribute their own successes to internal factors while blaming failures on external factors in a self-serving bias. Cultural differences can also impact how people make attributions.

1. Perception &
Attribution Theory
DDP -B CS -SP1 2 -0 42
COMSAT S in s titu te
of in formation an d
techn ology
S u b m i t t e d t o :
F A H A D J a v a i d
Muhammad Atif

2. Perception:
“It is process which we give meaning to our environment by organizing and
interpretingsensory impressions.”
Research on perception demonstrate that individual may look at the same time but perceive
differently.For example,
His assistant regularly takes several days to make important decision as evidence that assistant is
slow,disorganized and afraid of making decision.
Another manager he has the same assistant and is performing same work at there as evidence that
he is thorough,deliberate.The first manger probably evaluate his assistant on negative aspect and
the second manger evaluate on the basis of positive aspect.
In that figure,one person said yhis glass is half full and other is saying that glass is half empty.this is
perception,in which two people think differently.
Factors that influence perception:
A number of factors act to shape and sometimes distort perception.These factors are in the
perceiver,in the target being perceived.
When a person looks at a target and attempts to interpret what he or she sees, the person
characteristics heavily influence the interpretation. These personal qualities are incudes
attitudes,motives or expectation.
Attribution Theory:
“A theory used to explain how we judge people differently,depending on what meaning we
attribute to given behaviour.”

3. Attribution theory was developed to explain how we judge people differently?The theory suggest
that when we observe an individual’s behaviour ,we attempt to determine whether it is internally or
externally caused.
There are two types of caused that examine in observing of individual’s behaviour.
1.Internally caused behavior.
2.Externally caused behavior.
Internally caused behavior:
“Those behavior that are believed to be the under personal control of individual.”
Externally caused behaviour:
“Those behavior results from outside factors;that is,the person is forced into the behaviour
by the situation.”
Determination depends on three factors:
1. Distinctiveness,
2. Consensus
3. Consistency.
Distinctiveness:
“It refers an individual displays different behaviors in different situation.”
Is the employee who arrived late today the same person that some employees arecomplaining is a
“good-off”?this behaviour is unusual?If it is unusual ,the observer like to attribute the behaviour by
external factors,that are beyond the personal control.
Consensus:
If everyone who’s faced similar condition as metioned above respond in the same way,we
can say that it is consensus behaviour.
A tardy employee’s behaviour would meet this criterion if all employee who took this type of
route,were also late. If the consensus is high,you are likely to give an external attribution to the
employee’s tardiness,that is some outside factor—may be road construction etc.
Now the observer looks for the consistency factor in person’s action. Consistency leads to internal
behavior,that are controllable by person.If one employee who has not been late in months, it’s
represents unusual case. If one employee daily late 10 minutes in twice or thrice in a week, It is his

4. internal behavior. If more consistent behavior,the observer more inclind attribute to his internal
behaviour.
One interesting thing finding in while observing the behaviour of person.
For example,
Fundamental attribution theory:
There is evidence that when we making judgment the behavior of people,we have tendency to
underestimate the external factor and overestimate the internal factors. This tendency is called
fundamental attribution theory.
Self-servimg bias:
“This leads to attribute our own success to internal factors or blaming for personal failure on
external factors such as luck is called self-serving bias.
Fig:Attribution theory
Preliminary evidence indicates cultural differences.For instance,
A study of Korean managersfound that contrary to self-serving bias,they tended to accept
responsibility for “group failure” because I was not capable as leader.
Shortcuts used in judgment:
Perceiving and interpretating behaviour of the person is a lot work. These techniques lets us
makequick and accurate perception.

5. Assumed similarity:
In this case “like me “ effect,the observer perceived the person behaviour on the behaviorby
comparing himself characteristic.
For example:
If you want challenges in your job,you will assume other also want that.
Stereotyping:
When we judge someone on the basis of our perception of group to which he or she belongs we are
using the shortcuts called stereotyping.
For example:
Married person are more stable than single.
When we performed a general impression about a person on the basis of single characteristic,such
as intelligent,socialabililty etc. we are impacting halo effect.