ATTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITY IN A CAMPUS STABBING INCIDENT

Abstract

Recent laboratory work has suggested a defensive attribution interpretation of the attribution of responsibility following an accident. The present study was an attempt to test these notions in a field situation. A questionnaire was devised concerning a campus stabbing incident in which one girl suffered severe consequences and her companion suffered less severe consequences. Results were compatible with defensive attribution. Those Subjects who most closely identified with the victim (females) perceived chance as a contributing factor less often when consequences were severe, and held the victim more responsible for her fate, than did Subjects who did not identify with the victim (male).