Effects of actor's causal role, outcome severity, and knowledge of prior accidents upon attributions of responsibility

Abstract

Ninety-six subjects read one of eight reports of an industrial accident in which a small child was injured. The severity of the consequences (mild, severe), the number of previous accidents (few, many), and the actor's knowledge of previous accidents (informed, not informed) were varied in a 2×2×2 factorial design. It was hypothesized that defensively lenient attributions of responsibility would be made only when two conditions were met: (a) The actor, rather than situational factors, must be perceived as the primary causal agent. (b) The negative consequences of the accident must be severe. It was also predicted that an actor forewarned of potential dangers in a situation would be held more to blame than an actor who was unaware of any possible hazards. Both predictions were supported. It was suggested that the actor's causal role in the accident situation may be a critical factor in the arousal of defensive tedencies in observers.