Language Use and Attributional Biases in Close Personal Relationships

Abstract

Attributional biases in close relationships can take the form of either an actor-observer bias (i. e., attributions to partner dispositions) or an egocentric bias (self-attributions). Hence, different theoretical approaches lead to contradictory predictions. To resolve this conflict, the language used to describe one's own and one's partner's behavior was analyzed. Free descriptions were coded with respect to sentence subjects (self vs. partner) and the abstractness of Predicates. Evidence was found for both types of biases, though at different levels of language use. An actor-observer bias was obtained at the abstract level of adjectives, whereas an egocentric bias was found at the level of interpretive action verbs (i.e., manifest behaviors). Language use is also shown to be related to satisfaction with the partnership, action verbs being a better predictor than adjectives. The role of lan guage in mediating or elucidating social cognitive phenomena is discussed.