Effects of conceptual structure, failure, and success on attribution of causality and interpersonal attitudes.

Abstract

Thirty-two subjects of simple and 32 subjects of complex conceptual structure participated as decision-making dyads in an experimental simulation. The dyads were exposed to increasing failure or increasing success. The effect of failure and success on subjects' estimates of causality for their "current situation" and its effect on interpersonal attitude within the group were investigated. It was found that subjects take increasingly more credit for success as success increases, but do not take similar credit for increasing failure. It was found that attitudes toward other group members become more favorable when the group is credited with success. Attitudes remain constant when causality attributions show constancy (failure). The effect of success and failure on attribution of causality, and with it the effect on attitudes, was more pronounced for simple than for complex subjects.

Are computers scapegoats? Attributions of responsibility in human–computer interaction

“…After receiving feedback indicating that they have either failed or succeeded at the task, participants are then asked to assign causality for their performance (e.g. Streufert & Streufert, 1969;Fitch, 1970;Chaikin, 1971;Feather & Simon, 1971a, b;Davis & Davis, 1972;Wolosin, Sherman & Till, 1973;Wortman, Costanzo & Witt, 1973). The majority of these experiments support the self-serving hypothesis (see, e.g.…”

Judgment of contingency in depressed and nondepressed students: Sadder but wiser?

“…7 An alternative, though not necessarily incompatible, framework for examining the judgment of contingency results 'is a motivational account derived from social psychology. The finding that nondepressed students perceive a contingency between their responses and desirable outcomes but not between their responses and undesirable outcomes is reminiscent of a general phenomenon in social psychology (Cohen, 1964;Feather, 1969;Fitch, 1970;Johnson, Feigenbaum, & Weiby, 1964;Langer & Roth, 1975;Medow & Zander, 1965;Streufert & Streufert, 1969;Weiner et al, 1971;Wortman, Costanzo, & Witt, 1973). These investigators have examined the causal attributions of individuals who received false feedback that they had either succeeded or failed at a task.…”

And the lucky shall inherit the earth: Perceiving the causes of financial and failure

“…The ancillary finding that observers expected targets to view themselves responsible for success and not responsible for failure is interesting in view of the disputed status of such tenden-cies in the actor attribution literature. There is some evidence (e.g., Streufert and Streufert, 1969;Wortman, Constanzo and Witt, 1973) that actors tend to credit themselves for success and avoid failure (but see also Miller and Ross, 1975). However, to our knowledge, there is no prior demonstration that observers will assume actors to employ just such a strategy.…”