Interpersonal Attributions Research Articles

Self-disclosure and liking in computer-mediated communication

This research investigated the process by which self-disclosure leads to liking in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Research has shown that CMC influences the attributions that individuals make regarding self-disclosure as well as the affection that they feel towards disclosers as a result of these attributions. However, little is known about the impact that attributions have on one's own reciprocal self-disclosure. In an original experiment, dyads of friends or strangers disclosed to one another in text-based CMC. After their discussion, a questionnaire assessed participants' liking toward their partners as well as their attributions regarding their partners' behavior. Results show that self-disclosure prompted receivers' interpersonal attributions, which led receivers to like their partners. But, receivers' interpersonal attributions did not lead to reciprocal disclosure. The results corroborate Jiang, Bazarova, and Hancock’s (2011) model that links self-disclosure and liking by way of interpersonal attributions, and demonstrate one disclosure-liking effect in CMC: People like those who self-disclose to them. This study provides further evidence for CMC's unique impact on the relationship between self-disclosure and liking, and contributes to our understanding of the interpersonal processes that lead to liking in CMC.

大学生人际归因与一般自我效能感的特点及关系

目的：调查大学生人际归因与一般自我效能感的状况并考察其关系。结论：(1) 大学生人际归因的一般趋势倾向于内归因，且一般自我效能感水平较高。(2) 大学生人际归因总分性别差异显著，内归因和失败归因性别差异显著；一般自我效能感性别差异显著。(3) 大学生人际归因年级差异显著，且不同维度不同年级差异显著不同；一般自我效能感年级差异不显著。(4) 大学生人际归因总分与一般自我效能感之间呈显著负相关，大学生人际关系内归因、成功归因与一般自我效能感之间呈显著正相关，大学生人际关系外归因、失败归因与一般自我效能感之间相关不显著。 Object: To investigate the status of interpersonal attribution and general self-efficacy of college students and explore the relationship between them. Conclusions: (1) Generally, college students attributed interpersonal relationship to internal reason and the level of general self-efficacy was higher. (2) There was a significant gender difference in total score of interpersonal attribution, internal and failing attribution, and general self-efficacy. (3) There was a significant grade difference in interpersonal attribution of college students and analysis showed the grade difference varied in different dimensions; the grade difference of general self-efficacy was not significant. (4) There was a significant negative correlation between total score of interpersonal attribution and general self-efficacy; the internal attribution and successful attribution had significant positive correlation with general self-efficacy respectively, while external and failing attribution had no significant correlation with general self-efficacy.

The effect of anger and sadness on prosocial decision making: The role of the interpersonal attribution of responsibility

The effect of anger and sadness on prosocial decision making: The role of the interpersonal attribution of responsibility

The Relationship Between Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions and Attribution Styles Among Divorce Applicant Couples and its Impact on Sexual Satisfaction.

BackgroundThe current study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive distortions and attribution styles among divorce applicant couples and its impact on sexual satisfaction.Materials and MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study and its statistical samples were 55 divorce applicant couples (110 individuals) referred to Urmia courts, Urmia, Iran, from 2012 to 2013. The required data were gathered by interpersonal cognitive distortions, Larson sexual satisfaction and attribution style questionnaire.ResultsThe findings of the research indicated the existence of a significant relationship between attribution styles for pleasant events and cognitive distortions. The results showed that an increasing amount of pleasant events reduces cognitive distortions among the divorce applicant couples (P < 0.05, r = 0.19). Attribution style has a significant relationship with sexual satisfaction among the divorced couples. As stable-unstable variables increase (P < 0.05, r = 0.22), pleasant events, (P < 0.05, r = 0.19), attribution styles (total) (P < 0.05, r = 0.19) and sexual satisfaction increases and vice versa. Also, there was no significant relationship between sexual satisfaction and cognitive distortions (P < 0.05, r = 0.04).ConclusionsNormal and abnormal cognitive components are among the main factors affecting satisfaction or dissatisfaction in couples who are living together (sexual satisfaction is one of its main elements).

Towards a framework in interaction training for staff working with clients with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour.

Training support staff in dealing with challenging behaviour in clients with intellectual disabilities (ID) is needed. The goal of this study is to determine which elements need to be incorporated in a training on staff interactions with these clients, building upon a framework and an interpersonal model. As in functional analysis, this study tests the influence of client interpersonal behaviour, three types of staff reactions to challenging behaviour, two types of staff psychological resources and staff team climate on four styles of staff interpersonal behaviour. A total of 318 support staff members completed a questionnaire on staff interpersonal behaviour for 44 clients with ID and challenging behaviour, as well as seven questionnaires on client interpersonal behaviour, staff emotions, attributions, self-efficacy, self-reflection, coping styles and team climate. The influence of these seven factors on four staff interpersonal behaviours was examined using multilevel multiple regression analysis. Friendly-warm and dominant client interpersonal behaviour had a significant positive impact on friendly and assertive control staff behaviour, respectively. Also, there was a strong influence of staff negative and positive emotions, as well as their self-efficacy, on most of the staff interpersonal behaviours. Staff self-reflection, insight and avoidance-focused coping style had an impact on some staff interpersonal behaviours. Staff team climate only predicted higher support-seeking staff behaviour. In conducting a functional analysis of staff interpersonal behaviour, the results of this study can be used both as a framework in staff-client interaction training and in clinical practice for treating challenging behaviour. The emphasis in training and practice should not only be on the bidirectional dynamics of control and affiliation between staff and clients, but also - in order of importance - on the impact of staff emotions, self-efficacy, self-reflection and insight, coping style, team climate and attributions on staff interpersonal behaviour.

Effects of Robotic Social Cues on Interpersonal Attributions and Assessments of Robot Interaction Behaviors

We discuss an experiment investigating the influence of social cues expressed by a robot on human attributions of interpersonal characteristics towards a robot and assessments of its interaction behaviors. During a hallway navigation scenario, participants were exposed to varying expressions of proxemic behavior and gaze cues over repeated interactions with a robot. Analysis of participant perceptions of the robot’s personality revealed that cues indicative of socially mindful behavior expressed by the robot promote positive interpersonal attributions and perceptions of safe robot behavior. Results of the present study contribute to the scholarly discussion on robotic design for encouraging natural and effective interactions between humans and robots.

Giving Voice to the Silence of Family Estrangement: Comparing Reasons of Estranged Parents and Adult Children in a Nonmatched Sample

This study investigated 898 parents’ and adult children’s reasons for estrangement in light of research on interpersonal attributions and the relational consequences of perspective-taking. Three primary categories emerged: estrangement resulted from intrafamily, interfamily, or intrapersonal issues. Within each category, the frequency of parents’ and children’s reasons for estrangement differed significantly from each other. Parents reported that their primary reason for becoming estranged stemmed from their children’s objectionable relationships or sense of entitlement, whereas adult children most frequently attributed their estrangement to their parents’ toxic behavior or feeling unsupported and unaccepted. Parents also reported that they were unsure of the reason for their estrangement significantly more often than did children. Examining estrangement from the perspective of both parents and adult children offers potential avenues for family reconciliation and future communication research.

Attributional "Tunnel Vision" in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder.

We aimed to examine the profile of interpersonal attributions in BPD. We hypothesized that patients show more mono-causal and internal attributions than healthy controls. A revised version of the Internal, Personal, Situational and Attributions Questionnaire was assessed in 30 BPD patients and 30 healthy controls. BPD patients and controls differed significantly in their attributional pattern. Patients displayed more mono-causal inferences, that is, they had difficulties considering alternative explanatory factors. For negative events, patients made more internal attributions compared to healthy controls. We concluded that mono-causal "trapped" thinking might contribute to (interpersonal) problems in BPD patients by fostering impulsive consequential behaviors, for example, harming one's self or others. A self-blaming tendency likely promotes depressive symptoms and low self-esteem.

Charismatic Leadership Identity Negotiation in Teams

For the most part, research on charismatic leadership focuses on formally designated leaders in organization and teams. Yet charisma is an interpersonal attribution which can develop among peers an...

The Social Information Processing Model as a Framework for Explaining Frequent Aggression in Adults with Mild to Moderate Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

There is an established evidence base con-cerning the use of anger management interventions with violent offenders who have intellectual disabilities. However, there has been limited research investigating the role of social cognitive factors underpinning problems of aggression. Psychosocial sources of agg-ression in the non-disabled population are generally discussed using Social Information Processing (SIP) models. A systematic review of the available evidence was carried out to establish whether SIP offers a useful explanatory model for understanding the contribution of social cognitive factors to problems of aggression presented by people with intellectual disabilities. Whilst research relating to the SIP model remains sparse for this population, there was evidence for different patterns of processing between aggressive and non-aggressive individuals. Group diff-erences included interpretation of emotional cues, inter-personal attributions and beliefs about the outcomes of aggressive behaviour. The future direction of SIP research with people who have intellectual disabilities is discussed, along with the possibility of using this framework to help build on current initiatives to develop individually tailored interventions to work at a cognitive level with those who are aggressive and offend.

Resilience, attribution, and coping style for the freshmen: a relationship study

Objective To explore the relationship among resilience, attribution, and coping style for freshmen. Methods 977 freshmen were surveyed with Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale, and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, then compared different freshmen's resilience, attribution, and coping style, and analyzed their relationship. Results The city freshmen showed significant higher resilience(68.88±10.57), academic external attribution(21.14±6.01), and interpersonal external attribution(22.87±6.42) than rural freshmen((67.51±10.43), (19.81±5.88), (21.86±5.88) respectively, t=2.03, 3.48, 2.57). Vocational freshmen showed significant higher academic internal attribution(28.68±5.30) and interpersonal internal attribution(26.81±5.82) than undergraduate freshmen((27.61±5.47), (25.53±5.92), t=3.00, 3.30). The only children showed significant higher resilience(68.88±10.81) and academic failure luck(4.37±2.21) than those having siblings((67.44±10.18), (3.96±2.12), t=2.15, 3.02). Positive coping style, negative coping style, academic failure external attribution, academic success internal attribution, residence, and academic failure internal attribution had significant direct influence on resilience(β=16.435, -4.919, -0.344, 0.308, 1.396, -0.182). Conclusion Positive coping styles and reasonable academic attribution can effectively predict great resilience of freshmen. Key words: Freshmen; Resilience; Attribution; Coping style

Relationship between aggressive behavior and interpersonal attribution in senior primary school students

Objective To obtain knowledge about aggressive behavior and interpersonal attribution of senior primary school students,and to explore the relationship between them.Methods Stratified random sampling was used to conduct a questionnaire survey in students of the fourth grade,fifth grade and sixth grade.The students were surveyed about their general situation and by aggressive behavior scale and interpersonal attribution scale.The relation between aggressive behavior and interpersonal attribution was analyzed using multiple linear regression.Results The score of aggressive behavior of male students was significantly higher than that of female students;the total,physical aggression,anger and hostility scores of male students of the fourth and fifth grades were significantly higher than those of sixth grade(P0.05).The total,physical aggression,verbal aggression,indirect aggression and anger scores of female student of the fifth and sixth grades were significantly higher than those of the fourth grade(P0.05).The interpersonal attribution score of male students was significantly higher than that of female students(P0.05).The fortune score of male students of the fourth,fifth grades were significantly higher than that of the sixth grade(P0.05).There were no significant differences in interpersonal attribution scores in female students of different grades(P0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis showed that scores of situation factor of external control and fortune were both positively correlated with scores of total aggressive behavior,physical aggression,indirect aggression,anger and hostility when gender and grade were adjusted(P0.05);the scores of effort factor of internal control and situation factor of external control had a positive correlation with score of verbal aggression(P0.05).Conclusion The aggressive behavior of senior primary school students is mainly correlated with the external control factors of interpersonal attribution.Students with higher score of external control factors have a higher score of aggressive behavior,suggesting that the intervening measures should be taken to change the interpersonal attribution style to prevent aggressive behavior among these students.

Give a Dog a Bad Name and Hang Him: Evaluating Big, Black Dog Syndrome

AbstractTwo studies examined human perceptions of dog personality attributes based upon exposure to pictures of dogs of select breeds. The proposed hypotheses evaluated the validity of “big, black dog syndrome”—whereby large, black dog breeds are reportedly spurned for adoption due to negatively perceived personality attributes—by assessing each dog’s relative trait dominance and affiliation based upon a taxonomy drawn from the eight-factor interpersonal circumplex. Results of two separate studies indicated that among participants’ ratings, breed-specific differences were more powerful predictors of interpersonal trait attributions than the color or size of the dog. In general, with the exception of the golden retriever, black labs were perceived as consistently less dominant and less hostile than other large breeds, contrary to the assumption that large, black dogs are viewed negatively.

The Disclosure-Intimacy Link in Computer-Mediated Communication: An Attributional Extension of the Hyperpersonal Model

The present research investigated whether the attribution process through which people explain self-disclosures differs in text-based computer-mediated interactions versus face to face, and whether differences in causal attributions account for the increased intimacy frequently observed in mediated communication. In the experiment participants were randomly assigned to a face-to-face or computer-mediated interaction with a confederate who made either high- or low-intimacy self-disclosures. Results indicated that computer-mediated interactions intensified the association between disclosure and intimacy relative to face-to-face interactions, and this intensification effect was fully mediated by increased interpersonal (relationship) attributions observed in the computer-mediated condition. The article presents an attributional extension of the hyperpersonal model (Walther, 1996) by demonstrating the role of causal attributions in interpersonal intensification processes in text-based computer-mediated interactions.

Does illness attribution affect treatment assignment in depression?

Little is known about depressed individuals' illness attributions and how these influence treatment assignment in clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to examine whether illness attribution across the domains of intraindividual, interpersonal and biological reasons was associated with treatment assignment in a naturalistic treatment setting. Illness attribution was assessed with the Reasons for Depression Questionnaire in 221 depressed individuals. Participants were assigned to either cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT) or psychopharmacological treatment (PHT). Depressed individuals who strongly attributed their illness to intraindividual factors were more likely to be assigned to CBT, and depressed individuals attributing their depression to biological reasons were more likely to receive in PHT. In contrast, interpersonal illness attribution was not associated with treatment assignment. Illness attribution influences treatment assignment to CBT and PHT. However, factors other than illness attribution for depression affect a treatment choice of IPT.

“Why did You Hurt Me?” Victim's Interpersonal Betrayal Attribution and Trust Implications

In this paper, I propose an attribution-based typology of betrayal. Specifically, incidental betrayal occurs when the trustee (perpetrator) violates the pivotal trust expectations of the trustor (victim) in the course of pursuing other goals; intentional betrayal occurs when the goal of the perpetrator is to violate the critical trust expectations of the victim in order to cause harm to him or her. Incidental betrayal is further categorized into egoistic betrayal and ideological betrayal, whereas intentional betrayal is further categorized into personalistic betrayal and reciprocal betrayal. In addition, I explicate how these various types of betrayal differentially affect the victim's perception of the perpetrator's trustworthiness.

Law Enforcement Encounters: The Effects of Officer Accommodativeness and Crime Severity on Interpersonal Attributions are Mediated by Intergroup Sensitivity

Drawing on communication accommodation theory in a law enforcement context, young adults rated one of four written vignettes wherein an accommodating or nonaccommodating police officer issued a ticket for a minor or major traffic violation. The officer was rated less favorably along both cognitive and affective dimensions when he nonaccommodated rather than accommodated the offender. The effect of officer accommodation on evaluations of officer competence and social attractiveness were both mediated by intergroup sensitivity. These effects, which supported the theory, emerged irrespective of the severity of the violation. The findings add to the literature regarding the effects of intergroup sensitivity and open up new affective parameters for communication accommodation.

Interpersonal Attributions of Responsibility in the Chinese Workplace: A Test of Western Models in a Collectivistic Context1

When an employee fails in the workplace, judgments of responsibility based on perceived locus and controllability guide how managers motivate the employee. However, this model of attributions has not been tested in highly collectivistic cultures. In the present study, 296 Chinese managers and employees made attributional judgments for a workplace failure, and then made suggestions for how to respond to the failing employee. Results revealed that judgments of responsibility were based on causal locus, as well as perceptions of controllability. Responsibility elicited anger, less sympathy, and predicted behavioral response toward the failing employee. Findings are discussed in terms of the similarities and differences in attributional processes across cultures, especially as they apply to work‐oriented contexts.

Too Hot to Handle? How to Manage Relationship Conflict

Conventional wisdom, together with the weight of published management advice, recommends that management teams engage task conflict directly but avoid relationship conflict. Implicit in this advice is the premise that it is indeed possible to separate the task and relationship aspects of a business conflict. This article argues that this separation is not always possible for management teams. When teams discuss topics. substantive disagreements (task conflicts) tend to trigger negative attributions about others' motives or abilities (a key element of relationship conflicts). When this happens, most managers suppress their true thoughts, thus avoiding genuine discussion. Yet, when interpersonal attributions are suppressed, they tend to leak into the business conversation anyway, such as in the form of implied accusations or aggravated tones of voice. These dynamics are virtually inevitable, even when managers try hard to avoid them. Making a distinction between ''hot'' and cool topics can help clarify when avoiding discussion of relationship conflict in management teams is feasible and when it's not. In addition, management teams facing hot topics need to learn to handle relationship conflicts productively, despite the heightened emotions and interpersonal tensions associated with them.

Causal Attributions of Schizophrenia by Chinese American Caregivers

Causal attributions of schizophrenia by 30 Chinese American caregivers in the Los Angeles area are investigated. Stress-related and biological explanations are most highly endorsed. Interpersonal and familial stress attributions reflect the sociocentric culture and centrality of family. A better match in causal attributions is key to improving interactions between mental health service providers and Chinese American patients and their caregivers. To this end, a stress-vulnerability model is suggested. Higher acculturation is also found to be positively associated with biological attributions of the illness, and supernatural attributions significantly relate to caregivers' objective and total burden. Implications of the findings are discussed.