A unified integration model for “prior expectancy and behavioral extremity as determinants of attitude attribution”

Abstract

A reinterpretation is offered for Jones, Worchel, Goethals and Grumet's recent study of attribution theory. The several unrelated processes which were suggested in the original paper are replaced by a single information integration model: the attributed attitude is seen as a weighted average of three pieces of information. Using parameter values which are meaningful within the context of attribution theory, the model provides intuitive explanations for the interesting qualitative aspects of the study. In addition, it gives a good quantitative fit to the data.