Psychology MCAT Practice Exam

Attribution theory primarily focuses on how individuals explain the causes of behavior, both their own and that of others. It involves the process by which people attribute actions to either internal factors, such as personality traits or beliefs, or external factors, such as situational influences or environmental context. This framework helps in understanding how we make sense of the world around us and the social interactions we experience daily.

Internal attributions refer to believing that a person's behavior is due to their character or disposition (for example, attributing a colleague’s success to their hard work), while external attributions suggest that the person's behavior is influenced by situational factors (such as attributing a poor performance to external stressors). The ability to accurately discern these causes is crucial in various aspects of social psychology, including self-perception and interpersonal relationships.

In contrast, the other choices do not align with the core principles of attribution theory. The evaluation of personality traits pertains to personality psychology, the classification of psychological disorders falls under clinical psychology, and the development of communication skills is more aligned with social skills training or educational psychology rather than attribution theory.