Attribution theory

A group of interrelated social psychological principles that are collectively known as attribution theory. It attempts to explain how people assign causality to events on the basis of their own behaviour or the behaviour of others. Research has used the concept of attribution theory to examine how sales promotion may affect consumer attitude formation. According to this theory, consumers acquire attitudes by observing their own behaviour and considering why they acted in a certain manner. Consumers who consistently purchase a brand because of a coupon or price-off deal may attribute their behaviour to the external promotional incentive rather than to a favorable attitude toward the brand. By contrast, when no external incentive is available, consumers are more likely to attribute their purchase behavior to favorable underlying feelings about the brand.