An Attributional Analysis of Responsibility for a Happy Accident: Effects of Ability, Intention, and Effort

Abstract

Two experiments concerned with attribution of responsibility for a happy accident were conducted in order to distinguish defensive attribution theory from an attributional model of achievement evaluation. The principal findings were: (1) In both experiments responsibility judgments decreased as the severity of the happy accident increased (the "happy accident" effect); and (2) this effect was attenuated when the stimulus person (SP) had been described as exerting effort in the situation, but it was not affected by information about SP's ability or his intentions. These data are interpreted as support for the attributional model of achievement evaluation as well as an attributional formulation derived from equity theory. Sex differences were also discussed.