Attributions as Decisions: A Two Stage Information Processing Model

Abstract

Attribution theory is the most important development in social psychology. This audience hardly needs convincing; for skeptics all we need to do is to point out the dominance of attribution articles in the journals, chapters in edited volumes, and original books. Attribution theory has contributed to our understanding of traditional social psychology problems such as attitude change and resistance to change (e.g., Jones & Harris, 1967; McGuire, 1985), impression formation (e.g., Schneider, Hastorf, & Ellsworth, 1979), helping and altruism (e.g., Bradand & Lerner, 1975; Meyer & Mulherin, 1980), conformity (e.g., Ross, Bierbrauer, & Hoffman, 1976), aggression (e.g., Dyck & Rule, 1978; Zillman, 1978), and stereotyping (e.g., Hamilton, 1981). Less purely social areas have also been influenced by attributional work. For instance, the literatures on judgment and decision making (e.g., Nisbett & Ross, 1980), clinical problems (e.g., Anderson & Arnoult, 1985a; Arkin & Baumgardner, 1985), and memory for traits and behaviors (e.g., Crocker, Hannah, & Weber, 1983) all have benefited by attribution theory. Of course, attribution theory also has advanced in sophistication and accuracy from a liberal borrowing of ideas from a variety of areas.