Causal Attributions Research Articles

Bison alter the northern Yellowstone ecosystem by breaking aspen saplings.

The American bison (Bison bison) is a species that strongly interacts with its environment, yet the effects of this large herbivore on quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) have received little study. We documented bison breaking the stems of aspen saplings (young aspen >2 m tall and ≤5 cm in diameter at breast height) and examined the extent of this effect in northern Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Low densities of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) after about 2004 created conditions conducive for new aspen recruitment in YNP's northern ungulate winter range (northern range). We sampled aspen saplings at local and landscape scales, using random sampling plots in 87 randomly selected aspen stands. Across the YNP northern range, we found that 18% of sapling stems had been broken. The causal attribution to bison was supported by multiple lines of evidence: (1) most broken saplings were in areas of high bison and low elk density; (2) saplings were broken in summer when elk were not foraging on them; (3) we directly observed bison breaking aspen saplings; and (4) mixed-effects modeling showed a positive association between scat density of bison and the proportion of saplings broken. In a stand heavily used by bison, most aspen saplings had been broken, and portions of the stand were cleared of saplings that were present in previous sampling in 2012. Bison numbers increased more than fourfold between 2004 and 2015, and their ecosystem effects have similarly increased, limiting and in some places reversing the nascent aspen recovery. This situation is further complicated by political constraints that prevent bison from dispersing to areas outside the park. Thus, one important conservation goal, the preservation of bison, is affecting another long-term conservation goal, the recovery of aspen and other deciduous woody species in northern Yellowstone.

Ischemic strokes in COVID-19: risk factors, obesity paradox, and distinction between trigger and causal association.

Stroke has been described as a COVID-19 complication. However, its occurrence rate, risk factors, and causal relationships are still not well established. We describe the characteristics of confirmed COVID-19-related strokes among all cases of COVID-19 hospitalized in our health network, from November 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. Risk factor analysis has been conducted for ischemic stroke (IS), which represents 92% of all confirmed cases of Covid-19-related strokes, and a "causal attribution to infection" classification is provided. In all, 62/4105 hospitalized COVID-19 patients had an acute stroke (1.51%). Severe COVID-19 (OR 2.27-CI 1.06-4.77; p = 0.032), atrial fibrillation (OR 3.65-CI 1.63-7.98; p = 0.001), and ischemic heart disease (OR 4.590-CI 1.714-12.137; p = 0.002) proved to be independent risk factors for IS, while obesity was a protective factor (OR 0.90-CI 0.82-0.97; p = 0.012). COVID-19 had a causal role in 32.1% of IS cases, was a relevant cofactor in 28.6% of cases of IS, and was a possible trigger in 39.3% of events. Our stroke occurrence rate is consistent with other population-based reports (range 0.34-2.7%). Prespecified peculiar clinical and radiological features allow the distinction between "IS caused by COVID-19" and "IS triggered by COVID-19." Clinical history of vascular diseases and risk factors is crucial in determining the risk of IS in patients with COVID-19. However, the protective effect of a BMI > 30 kg/m2 seems to suggest an obesity paradox.

A mental health outreach program in child welfare centre with homoeopathy

Mental health problems during childhood and adolescence are a major health concern globally. Children in welfare centres pose varied emotional and behavioural problems (EBP) and need special treatment with a multidisciplinary approach. Homoeopathy has an evidence base for effectiveness in the management of some behavioural problems in children. Objective was to evolve the approach to mental health intervention using homeopathic medicines in the management of behavioural issues in children at a child welfare centre (CWC) through an outreach initiative. A screening program was conducted on 46 children at a child welfare centre, out of which 20 children were diagnosed with mental health issues according to ICD-10 criteria. These children were treated with individualised homoeopathic medicines and are followed up in regular intervals to assess the changes in behaviour of children after homoeopathic intervention. 3 cases of conduct disorders are illustrated to show the constitutional approach in children with behavioural problems. Causal attribution to the outcome after intervention are described as per Monarch criteria. 85% of cases were found to have moderate to marked improvement after 1 year of treatment. The remedies indicated are Sulphur (6), Carcinosinum (3), Natrum Mur (3), Silicea (2), Lachesis, Lycopodium, Merc Sol, Phosphorus, Staphysagria and Tarantula hispanica. Individualized homoeopathic medicines are found to be useful in the management of EBP of children in CWC. This preliminary mental health outreach serves as a model for future pragmatic research. Studies with appropriate study designs focussing on specific behavioural problems in juvenile delinquents are suggested.

Moral elevation affects the causal attributions about others’ behavior

ABSTRACT Moral elevation refers to the positive emotional response resulting from witnessing acts of virtue or moral beauty. While the evidence demonstrates that experiencing elevation has a positive effect on people’s prosocial behavior, an intriguing question is whether this emotion also affects social-cognitive processes involved in the perception of others’ behavior. The present research aims to study whether this elevation affects the causal attributions people make about the behavior of others. The results of three studies (total N = 267 adults from Spain; 79.03% women) show that a) elevation trait correlates with internal causal attributions about others’ behavior, b) experimental manipulation of elevation affects causal attributions about others’ behavior, and c) experimental manipulation of elevation can reduce correspondence bias (fundamental attributional error). The results are discussed within the framework of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.

Anthropomorphism-based causal and responsibility attributions to robots

People tend to expect mental capabilities in a robot based on anthropomorphism and often attribute the cause and responsibility for a failure in human-robot interactions to the robot. This study investigated the relationship between mind perception, a psychological scale of anthropomorphism, and attribution of the cause and responsibility in human-robot interactions. Participants played a repeated noncooperative game with a human, robot, or computer agent, where their monetary rewards depended on the outcome. They completed questionnaires on mind perception regarding the agent and whether the participant’s own or the agent’s decisions resulted in the unexpectedly small reward. We extracted two factors of Experience (capacity to sense and feel) and Agency (capacity to plan and act) from the mind perception scores. Then, correlation and structural equation modeling (SEM) approaches were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that mind perception influenced attribution processes differently for each agent type. In the human condition, decreased Agency score during the game led to greater causal attribution to the human agent, consequently also increasing the degree of responsibility attribution to the human agent. In the robot condition, the post-game Agency score decreased the degree of causal attribution to the robot, and the post-game Experience score increased the degree of responsibility to the robot. These relationships were not observed in the computer condition. The study highlights the importance of considering mind perception in designing appropriate causal and responsibility attribution in human-robot interactions and developing socially acceptable robots.

Teacher Education Students’ Implicit Racial Attitudes and Interpersonal Attribution of Racialized Student Behavior

Teachers have been shown to hold lower behavioral expectations for Black students than for their White peers, and the mechanism underlying this may be teachers’ implicit attitudes about their Black students based on causal attributions. This study examined this connection, predicting that teacher education students (TES) who scored higher on the racial implicit bias test would attribute internal causality and controllability to explain challenging behaviors in the classroom more frequently for Black students than for White students. 233 teacher education students completed the racial bias section of the Implicit Assessment Test and a set of questions assessing causal attribution based on four vignettes depicting student misbehaviors in a classroom setting. We found that regardless of implicit bias, TES were more likely to believe that Black students had an internal locus of causality and controllability than their White counterparts when presented with similar instances of challenging behavior. These results support the need for teacher preparation programs to address how these internal beliefs of teacher education students affect what they learn about managing their expectations around students’ behavioral regulation and to what they attribute these behaviors.

Management of ovarian cyst through sepia given in LM potency – Case series

Ovarian cysts are benign growths arising from the ovary, usually occurring in women of reproductive age. Ovarian cysts are fairly common in clinical practice and may be diagnosed symptomatically or incidentally through investigations like ultrasound sonography. This article reports two cases of women with ovarian cysts who were treated successfully with individualised homoeopathic medicines. The medicines were prescribed in fifty millesimal (LM) potency, based on homoeopathic principles of individualisation. The cases were further observed for 12 months without recurrence of symptoms. Both patients were assessed at baseline and end of treatment for pain using the visual analogue scale score and ultrasound reports. During treatment, both patients followed up every 20 days. After treatment ended, they were further observed for 12 months for symptom recurrence. In the second case, the MONARCH score was +7/13, indicating a positive causal attribution of homoeopathy in resolution of the pathological ovarian mass. Favourable results were observed through homoeopathic constitutional approach to ovarian cysts. Symptomatic relief and objective changes were seen, along with no recurrence of the symptoms and cysts. Homoeopathic Individualized medicines prescribed in fifty millesimal potency can serve beneficially in the management of surgical cases like ovarian cysts.

Burnout and depression: Points of convergence and divergence

BackgroundDebate is ongoing as to whether burnout can be differentiated from depression. This study evaluated whether burnout and depression could be distinguished using a new burnout measure and other variables. MethodsScores on the Sydney Burnout Measure (SBM) were compared between participants with self-diagnosed burnout (BO-all group; n = 622) and clinically-diagnosed depression (DEP-all group; n = 90). The latter group was split into melancholic (DEP-mel; n = 56) and non-melancholic (DEP-nonmel; n = 34) depression subgroups for subsequent analyses. Differences in reporting of depressive symptoms and causal attributions were also evaluated. ResultsWhile total SBM scores showed poor differentiation, the BO-all group had lower social withdrawal and higher empathy loss subscale scores than the depression groups. Odds ratios were significant for several of the depressive symptoms and causal attribution items when comparing the BO-all group to the DEP-all and DEP-mel groups, while only a few items were significant when comparing the BO-all and DEP-nonmel groups. LimitationsParticipants in the depression group were assigned by clinician-based depression diagnoses, rather than by a standardised diagnostic interview, and the group had a relatively small sample size. Participants in the burnout group were self-diagnosed and not assessed for comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. ConclusionsThere were some nuanced symptoms differences between burnout and depression, but many of the SBM symptoms were not specific to burnout. Results also suggested that burnout overlaps more with non-melancholic than melancholic depression, and that differentiation of burnout and depression may rely more on weighting causal factors over symptoms.

Homoeopathy in Psoriasis Vulgaris with Special Emphasis on Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy: An Evidence-Based Case Report

Abstract Background Psoriasis is a chronic multisystem inflammatory disease with predominantly skin and joint involvement. Ample evidences suggest that psoriasis patients improve under homoeopathic treatment. The main objective of this documentation is to find out whether such improvement can be attributable to the homoeopathic treatment. Method A case of psoriasis vulgaris with the complaint of dry, scaly itching eruption on the extensor surface of both legs is presented here. Outcome-related to impact on daily living (ORIDL) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcome related to his daily living, disease severity in the involved area was assessed by PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) scale and PDI (Psoriasis Disability Index) scale was used to assess the disease-specific quality of life. Photographs were taken as objective evidence after obtaining consent from the patient. The Modified Naranjo Criteria for Homeopathy (MONARCH) was used to find out the possible causal attribution of the treatment provided. Result The ORIDL score of (+4) showed the major improvement from patient and physician's perspective. PASI score reduced from ‘11.2 to 0’ (documented in photographs) within a plausible timeframe. The duration of remission of the skin lesion continued for six months. Each domain of PDI score reduced (from ‘25 to 3′) imparting improved quality of life. The high total score (+9 in ‘−6 to 13’ scale) of MONARCH suggested the likelihood of improvement was attributable to the homoeopathic intervention. This case has evidently shown its marked improvement with validated outcome measures.

Joint effects of offset effort beliefs and biomedical causal attributions on pre-service teachers’ stigma of children with ADHD-related symptoms

Joint effects of offset effort beliefs and biomedical causal attributions on pre-service teachers’ stigma of children with ADHD-related symptoms

Vermeintlich unvermeidlich: Poetik und Psychologie der Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Abstract The ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ has become an influential concept in contemporary behavioral psychology and economics. It has not yet been systematically introduced to literary studies, however, even though prophecies count among the long-lasting motifs of Western literature. This article aims to differentiate the psychological model of the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ by first defining its basic narrative structure and identifying various formal realizations of the structure. A second section argues that these variants are historically dependent – they emerge and evolve with time. I will devote special attention to a typically modernist variant, which surfaces around 1900 in short stories by Oscar Wilde, Thomas Mann, and Arthur Schnitzler. These stories evince the general difficulty of distinguishing between the attribution of causality and its modes of narrative representation. As a third section suggests, a poetics of self-fulfilling prophecies might help to appreciate the role that ambiguity and perspectivism play in any cause-and-effect-narratives, may they be fictional or factual. In light of this, the article reflects more generally on the possibilities and challenges of a dialogue between social psychology and literary studies.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Effect of Allied Brands Negative Publicity on Brand Managers' Decision-Making

This study examines why, and under what conditions, managers of focal brands decide to maintain the alliance with the partner brand when the latter is involved in negative publicity. The literature on brand alliances demonstrates the presence of crisis spillover effects on each partner in the case of negative publicity, suggesting dropping the offending brand to avoid any bad associations related to the negative publicity. However, research evidence on such negative effects in the B2B context is scarce. Drawing on attribution theory and reasoning style, this paper shows through two experiments (Study 1, N = 100; Study 2, N = 160) how the high (vs. low) severity of the allied brand's negative publicity activates an internal causal attribution process, which leads managers of focal brands to drop the offending partner. However, when brand managers are characterized by an analytic (vs. holistic) reasoning style, this path is overturned. Adopting a managerial perspective regarding the implications of negative publicity for B2B relationships, this study provides new insights into how the severity of partner brand negative publicity influences managers' decision-making, via casual attribution. The paper thus offers managers actionable guidelines (i.e., enhancing the analytic reasoning style) to reduce the risk of terminating a profitable alliance.

The effect of parenting styles on Chinese undergraduate nursing students' academic procrastination: the mediating role of causal attribution and self-efficacy.

Academic procrastination is common among college students, but there is a lack of research on the influencing mechanism of academic procrastination among nursing students. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of parental rearing patterns on academic procrastination of nursing students, and the mediating role of causal attribution and self-efficacy. Using Parental Bonding Instrument, Aitken Procrastination Inventory, Multidimensional Multi-Attribution Causality Scale and General Self-Efficiency Scale, the data of 683 nursing undergraduates from two universities in China were collected. Moreover, path analysis for structural equation modeling via AMOS 26.0 to evaluate mediation path model. Positive parenting style was negatively associated with academic procrastination (r = -0.350) and negative parenting style was positively associated with academic procrastination (r = 0.402). Positive parenting style directly or indirectly predicted academic procrastination through the mediating effect of internal attributional style (β = -0.10, 95% CI: -0.18 to -0.04) and self-efficacy (β = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.11 to -0.03), and this mediating effect accounted for 41.46% of the total effect. Positive parenting style directly or indirectly predicted academic delay through the mediating effect of external attributional style (β = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.07 to 0.17) and self-efficacy (β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.08), and this mediating effect accounted for 42.5% of the total effect. In addition, causal attribution and self-efficacy of nursing students play a chain intermediary role between parenting style and academic procrastination. Parents should give students more care and autonomy and reduce control. In addition, educators should give students attribution training, which is helpful to improve students' self-efficacy and reduce academic procrastination.

Causation in cerebral palsy: Parental beliefs and associated emotions.

To better understand parents' beliefs about causation in cerebral palsy (CP) and the emotions related to those beliefs. We surveyed 226 parents of children with CP aged 1 to 18 years, recruited from the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register, to evaluate their beliefs about the causes of CP, including genetic causes, causes specific to their own child, and their attitudes and emotions in relation to these. Although 92% of participants reported that understanding the causes of their child's CP was important, uncertainty about the cause was expressed by 13%. The most frequently endorsed causal factors, in general and in their own child respectively, were intrapartum hypoxia (81%, 36%) or brain damage (69%, 22%), brain damage during pregnancy (73%, 28%), and preterm birth (66%, 28%). Genetic causes were deemed relevant by 13% of participants and hospital or professional error by 16%. Parents shared related feelings of anger (59%), sadness (80%), guilt (61%), and confusion (53%); parental anger was more likely when their child's CP was attributed to intrapartum events. Substantial parental interest in understanding the causes of CP, together with uncertainty about the causes, parents' causal attributions, and significant emotional sequelae, highlight a strong need for provision of information and support for families of children recently diagnosed with CP. Understanding the causes of their child's cerebral palsy (CP) was important to parents. Parents most often endorsed intrapartum factors as a cause of CP. Parents reported experiencing strong emotions about the causes of their child's CP.

Improving causality perception judgments in schizophrenia spectrum disorder via transcranial direct current stimulation.

Deficient causality perception and attribution may underlie key symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), such as delusions and ideas of reference. Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can increase the influence of spatial information on perceptual causality judgments among healthy participants, its effect among patients with SSD remains unknown. We sought to determine whether tDCS modulates the contribution of stimulus characteristics to perceptual causality judgments among patients with SSD; we predicted that right parietal tDCS would increase the influence of spatial stimulus characteristics on patients' causality perception. Patients with SSD received frontal, parietal, frontoparietal and sham tDCS in 4 separate sessions. Pre- and post-tDCS, patients viewed video clips of ball A colliding with ball B. Spatial linearity (ball B's angle of egress) and temporal contiguity (delay between collision and ball B's movement) varied parametrically. After each launching event, patients rated perceived causality. Among 19 patients with SSD, we found a brain region-dependent effect of tDCS regarding sensitivity to violations of spatial linearity. After right parietal anodal tDCS, the influence of angle variations on patients' perceptual causality judgments increased, reflected by a higher probability of perceived causality for stimuli with small angles and a lower probability of perceived causality for stimuli with high angles. Transcranial direct current stimulation increased the influence of spatial stimulus characteristics on causality perception among patients with SSD. Future research should explore potential links between tDCS-induced changes in basic perceptual processes and clinical symptoms, such as delusions and ideas of reference.

Attributions for abusive supervision: Who do subordinates blame and does it matter?

Drawing on attribution theory, we propose in Study 1 that subordinates' supervisor-directed responses to abusive supervision depend upon their causal attributions for the abuse. Using a scenario-based study (N = 183), we test a moderated mediation model in which the entity blamed for abusive supervision (supervisor, organization, self) is expected to predict subordinates' behavioral intentions toward their supervisor via affective responses (supervisor disliking). This relationship will be exacerbated when subordinates perceive the cause of abusive supervision as stable. We found that subordinates who blamed themselves or the organization for the abuse disliked their supervisor less and had higher OCB-supervisor intentions, and this relationship was stronger when subordinates perceived the cause of abuse as stable. Disliking mediated the relationship between supervisor attributions and OCB-supervisor, but this relationship is not moderated by perceived stability. In Study 2, we explore whether there are additional entities that are blamed for abusive supervision and the reasons they are held accountable. We examined qualitative responses (N = 107) from abused subordinates to find that they most commonly blame their supervisor, themselves, and the organization for abusive supervision. However, subordinates occasionally blame their relationship with their supervisor and their work group.

How do women at increased risk of breast cancer make sense of their risk? An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Offering breast cancer risk prediction for all women of screening age is being considered globally. For women who have received a clinically derived estimate, risk appraisals are often inaccurate. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of women's lived experiences of receiving an increased breast cancer risk. One-to-one semi-structured telephone interviews. Eight women informed that they were at a 10-year above-average (moderate) or high risk in a breast cancer risk study (BC-Predict) were interviewed about their views on breast cancer, personal breast cancer risk and risk prevention. Interviews lasted between 40 and 70 min. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four themes were generated: (i) encounters with breast cancer and perceived personal significance, where the nature of women's lived experiences of others with breast cancer impacted their views on the significance of the disease, (ii) 'It's random really': difficulty in seeking causal attributions, where women encountered contradictions and confusion in attributing causes to breast cancer, (iii) believing versus identifying with a clinically-derived breast cancer risk, where personal risk appraisals and expectations influenced women's ability to internalize their clinically derived risk and pursue preventative action and (iv) perceived utility of breast cancer risk notification, where women reflected on the usefulness of knowing their risk. Providing (numerical) risk estimates appear to have little impact on stable yet internally contradictory beliefs about breast cancer risk. Given this, discussions with healthcare professionals are needed to help women form more accurate appraisals and make informed decisions.

How students perceive natural and human‐made risks on the island of Madeira (Portugal)

AbstractIn this study the spatial perceptions of students about the likelihood of natural and environmental risks were examined, considering both mainland Portugal and island of Madeira. It intends to understand how students perceived the risks, taking into account the causal attributions, future tendency, and the support from public entities, as well as the willingness of attitudinal changes with respect to mitigating and reducing risks. The results suggest that students have a relatively low perception of analysed risks, considering the risk of forest fires, heatwaves, air and water pollution, and floods the most likely to occur, mainly as a consequence of climate change intensification. Gender proved to be the variable with the greatest influence on perception, particularly in terms of risk occurrence and personal perception of risk. These results could be important for the improvement of strategies and resources to be applied in the educational context in order to reduce disaster risk and strengthen the resilience of the community at large.

Perceptions and experiences of prenatal mental health: A qualitative study among pregnant women in Ghana.

Prenatal mental health problems can have adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of the mother as well as her baby. However, the factors associated with its etiology, expression, and coping mechanisms in Ghana remain understudied. This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of prenatal mental health problems among 21 pregnant women in Accra through semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis led to three dominant themes; "conceptions of prenatal mental disorders" (sub-themes: awareness and constructions of prenatal mental health problems), "experiences of mental health problems" (sub-themes: symptoms of prenatal mental health problems and causal attributions of prenatal mental health problems) and "coping mechanisms of the pregnancy experience" (subthemes: faith, social support and work). The lack of knowledge of mental health disorders in this study and the expression of contextually relevant and culturally defined constructions and experiences of prenatal mental health problems, highlight the need for the development of culturally suitable interventions within the Ghanaian context.

When causal attribution meets cuisine type: how consumer power and moral identity moderate virtual kitchen patronage

PurposeVirtual kitchens are a new business phenomenon, and how customers react to the new business model is still a largely unexplored topic. The purpose of this study is to examine the underlying mechanisms of consumers’ different responses to their reasoning of the new and disruptive business model of the virtual kitchen.Design/methodology/approachBased on the attribution theory and situated focus theory of power, this study conducts three online experiments to test the proposed framework. A total of 487 US residents who had prior experience with restaurant food delivery participated in the studies.FindingsThe results indicate that external attribution (vs internal attribution) and ethnic cuisine (vs mainstream cuisine) are more likely to elicit customers’ empathy and justice, leading to higher purchase intentions with virtual kitchens. A mainstream virtual kitchen is better off attributing itself to external factors. The significant effects of causal attribution and cuisine type on purchase intention only exist with powerful customers and those with high moral identity.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study provide valuable insight to virtual kitchen businesses to better position and market themselves to gain customers’ support. The findings also suggest that ethnic and mainstream restaurants should strategize their marketing communications about virtual kitchens differently.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to provide in-depth insight into the growing phenomenon of virtual kitchens. It also contributes to the extant literature on attribution theory and situated focus theory of power.