Explored reactions of low, medium, and high self-esteem college students to positive and negative feedback in two studies. Results showed that mood and satisfaction ratings related to feedback but not self-esteem; and attribution following failure feedback source accuracy ratings, and performance improvement related somewhat to feedback and…

Undergraduate faculty advisors in a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences were surveyed for their experiences as academic advisors. They tended to accept credit for positive outcomes and deny responsibility for negative ones. The implications of this behavior for training advisors are discussed. (MSE)

Studied the relationship between attitudes toward women in management and attributions for their success. Employees (N=110) of a human services agency responded to a survey measuring attitudes toward women in management. Males showed attitudes significantly related to attributions for success. Females showed attitudes significantly related to…

In two experiments, third, fifth, and eleventh graders attributed success to effort more frequently on a "sex inappropriate" task than on a "sex appropriate" task. Overriding sex-of-actor biases emerged in explanations for failures, suggesting that failures were treated as anticipated outcomes for females. (Author/MJL)

Examined (1) whether sex differences in achievement patterns are recalled by subjects who were personally involved; (2) whether women and men rely on different causal factors to explain their success or failure; and (3) if the achievement pattern influences causal attributions for success or failure. (Author/GC)

This study examined the degree to which change in examination preparation for graduate statistics was related to measures of attribution, expectancy, prior performance, perceived success/failure, and satisfaction. Performance was the single best predictor of change in preparation. Three attribution measures and satisfaction contributed unique…

Administered caffeine to males (N=39) who were provoked or not provoked by a partner. Provoked participants attributed their feelings to both the drug and their partner's behavior. Angered subjects were more aversive when thinking they had taken caffeine but reduced their aggression when told the drug was a placebo. (Author/JAC)

This study tests the hypothesis that student attributions of the causes of success on their examinations (ability, extra help, and extra effort) depends upon the test type (objective, problems, or essay). Findings supported the hypothesis. (AM)

Meyer's reanalysis (TM 504 192) of Cooper and Baron's study (EJ 174 719) appears to be incomplete and contains inferential errors. Each of Meyer's points regarding personal responsibility and expectation measures, as well as the data he presented, are discussed. (RD)

Supported the hypotheses that blaming one's spouse for marital problems is negatively associated with marital satisfaction and perceived personal control over conflicts is positively associated with marital satisfaction. The wife's satisfaction was found to be related to her perception of both husband's and wife's contributions. (Author)

Reports an attempt to test two interpretations of immanent justice responses as causal attributions rather than as moral judgments. Finds older children use causal chains to explain contiguity between misdeed and adversity. Data were interpreted as consistent with an information-processing model of immanent justice responses. (RMH)

Subjects, reading a profile of a couple filing for divorce, made attributions about responsibility, financial settlement, future behavior, and personality traits. Reasons for divorce, physical attractiveness of husband and wife, and sex of subject were varied. Attractiveness strongly influenced personality ratings. Reason for divorce was related…

Results suggest that some people ascribe traits more often and indicate "depends on the situation" less often than do others. Personality correlates of this tendency indicate that it is associated with poor psychological adjustment and an extreme response style. (Author)

Examines a sample of roommate conflicts in terms of a theoretical approach to communication in interpersonal conflict, which emphasizes the role of attributional processes. Associations between the conflict strategies reported, their attributions for conflicts, and conflict outcomes were in the expected direction. (JMF)

Results indicated that expectations concerning success were determined by past achievement and by evaluative feedback. Immediate past performance had a stronger relative influence on expectations and performance than evaluative feedback. Feedback had a relatively greater effect on self-evaluation. (Author/DB)