T.W. Elig and I.H. Frieze used a multitrait, multimethod approach to contrast three methods for measuring attributions: unstructured/open-ended, structured/unidimensional, and structured/ipsative. This paper reanalyzed their data using confirmatory factor analysis techniques. (Author/PN)

Tests the degree of generalization from attributions of "overweight" to other personality attributions made by college students (N=223). Students were asked to write stories about male and female stimulus characters who varied only in body image. (CM)

To test the hypothesis that women exhibit an externality bias in their performance attribution, male and female college students made effort, ability, luck, and task difficulty attributions for their performance on a recent course examination. Findings suggested an internality bias among men, rather than an externality bias among women. (Author/GC)

College subjects undertook nine cognitive tasks with different perceived sex linkages, stating their expectancy of success before performance and attributing causality for their perceived performance after each task. Results indicated that (1) females hold lower expectancies of success than males and (2) perceived sex linkage of the task also…

Young adults evaluated their parents, themselves, and their families. Self-concepts varied significantly as a function of perceived family happiness. It is suggested that threats to basic needs result in reduced opportunities to personal growth, and manifestation of lowered self-concept. (Author/GK)

Education majors completed questionnaires about student success or failure in hypothetical situations and their responses were categorized. Dimensions of the category scheme concerned the student (ability and effort), the situation (task difficulty and luck), and the teacher (experience and preparation). (CTM)

Subjects receiving nonaversive treatment were assigned to maintenance strategies: modeling, participant observing, or self-monitoring control. Subjects showed a mean smoking rate of 46% of baseline at one year and no significant relapse between six months and one year. Differences and correlations with attribution and other questionnaire measures…

Develops measures of individual differences in attribute centrality, investigates convergent validity, and explores differences in central and noncentral attribute functions within same person. University students in three countries completed questionnaires. Four relative centrality measures correlated with information required to make decisions…

Examined observer error in attitude attribution. Subjects appeared to have invested essays, written under assignment, with diagnostic value on the presumption of a correlation between the strength of the essay and the writer's attitude. Suggests that attribution error is based on the inclination to adopt a diagnostic judgmental set. (Author)

Kelley's cube model of causal inferences was investigated by relating high and low students' attributions to reported affect and expectations. Low and high scoring students clustered in different cells of the cube. Predictions concerning estimates of distinctiveness, consistency, and consensus and their relation to affect and expectations were…

Undergraduates rated the importance of expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness for a friend and a mental health professional from whom they might seek help. Results indicated salient attributes of a professional were perceived expertness and trustworthiness. Salient attributes of a friend were perceived attractiveness and trustworthiness.…

Attribution interviews were conducted with 30 mothers who had disagreed with their child's teacher regarding the cause of a school-related problem and with 30 teachers who had similar disagreements with a parent. Parents tended to hold teachers responsible for problems and teachers assigned most responsibility to parent-home factors. (Author/RL)

In two experiments, subjects made attributions after reading a description of a rape. Responsibility was more strongly attributed to the victim's character for unrespectable victims, and to chance for respectable victims. Males blamed the victim's character more than females; females emphasized the role of chance more than males. (Author/GC)

Investigated psychologists' judgments of the accuracy of clients' attributions for presenting problems. Clinicians did not differ in estimate of accuracy based on whether attributions were internal or external, but female clinicians were more likely to judge client attributions as accurate. (Author/JAC)

Reviews the behavioral evidence of the possible relationship between the movements of the planets and personality variables. Concludes that astrology is a science consisting primarily of false data claims and much further research is required before any supported conclusions can be reached. (Author)