Cognitive Algebra: Integration Theory Applied to Social Attribution

Abstract

This chapter presents the theoretical overview of cognitive algebra. It considers some of the interrelations between attribution theory and theory of information integration. Both integration theory and attribution theory have been much concerned with person perception, but there has been little interaction between them. One reason has been their orientation toward different aspects of the judgment process. Attribution theory has been concerned primarily with questions of valuation, and integration itself has received little attention. In contrast, the first concern of integration theory is how information is combined or integrated. Three main types of algebraic models have been used in the study of information integration: adding, averaging, and multiplying models. The chapter explores a few relevant results of these models. In certain experiments, a stimulus person is portrayed subject to two or more forces. These forces may be internal or external, and they may be parallel or opposed in direction. The judgments required of the subject typically involve the mediation of a force model imputed by the subject to account for the behavior of the stimulus person.