Tested relation between attributions and types of depression postulated by reformulated learned helplessness theory versus an alternative in undergraduate college students (N=334). Results suggest inclusion of types of depression modestly increases support for one of hypotheses of reformulated theory but makes more questionable previously untested…

Attribution theory is offered as a theoretical framework for generating and testing hypotheses about how people perceive and respond to the behavior of impaired driving. In general, the seriousness of impaired driving is related to the consequences produced. (JOW)

Investigated children's causal-explanatory conceptions of the workings of a labeling strategy. The 72 children of four-six years showed two types of conceptions, both of which increased with age. (RJC)

Explored college students' (n=104) employment of meaning through cognitive strategies in retention task in terms of attributional assignment and/or divergent thinking. Students were randomly assigned to either list of nonsense syllables or nonrelated words. Found no relationship among attributional assignment, divergent thinking, and retention.…

Conducted two experiments in which attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder boys underwent double-blind, placebo-controlled medication assessment in summer day-treatment program. Daily, boys assessed attributions for and evaluations of their behavior. Objective measured showed improved behavior with methylphenidate; however, boys tended to…

First, second, and fourth graders listened to stories containing an inconsistent goal and outcome. Children provided a causal inference for the inconsistency, and attributed the inference to themselves or the story. Children's attributions were related to whether the story contained causal information linking the inconsistent events. (BC)

In one experiment, most four to eight year olds overattributed knowledge to a preverbal baby who heard an informative message. In a second experiment, six and eight year olds acknowledged differences in babies' and adults' interpretations of a message that was not obviously informative. (BC)

Examined extent to which offender's, victim's, and counselor's gender were related to 111 counselors' attributions about and attitudes toward cases of incest. Found no significant differences as function of either victim or offender gender. Female counselors had broader definitions of incest than did male counselors and were less likely to view…

Proposes model of attributed responsibility for human immunodeficiency virus that classifies social judgments of another person's behavior that take into account extent to which behavior caused situation, person knew or should have known potential consequences of behavior, person intended to engage in behavior, and factors over which person had…

Developed bipolar Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Optimism-Pessimism (PSM) scale based on results on Content Analysis of Verbatim Explanation applied to MMPI. Reliability and validity indices show that PSM scale is highly accurate and consistent with Seligman's theory that pessimistic explanatory style predicts increased…

Two studies examined the positivity bias in children of different ages. Findings indicated that children from grade two and up selected the correct cause(s) when the effect covaried with only one cause, but only at a later age when covariation with two causes was presented. Ability estimations and expectation of success were more positive in…

Participants in Study 1 rated the appropriateness of four models of responsibility to a man or woman seeking psychotherapy for uncontrolled anger or depression. In Study 2, appropriateness of these models was related to three types of counselor and problems of personal adjustment, anxiety, schizophrenia. Results, clinical implications are…

Describes procedures for constructing story-based causal diagrams. Discusses the cognitive and pragmatic constraints that govern the tendency to attribute events to incomplete causes. Uses causal diagrams to analyze major disagreements about the 1987 stock market crash. Explores how causal diagrams may mitigate the constraints on causal…

Stewart, Pickering, and Sanford (1998) reported a new type of semantic inference, implicit consequentiality, which they suggest is comparable to, although not directly related to, the well-documented phenomenon of implicit causality. It is our contention that there is a direct relation between these two semantic phenomena but that this relation…

Mothers' and teachers' academic attributions of second graders (20 girls; 20 boys) were investigated. Children were recruited equally from high versus low SES schools. Mothers evaluated their own children and teachers evaluated 10 children in each of four classrooms -- compared to classmates -- in six domains: reading, writing, arithmetic, fine…