Depression and causal attributions for success and failure.

Investigated the effects of depression on causal attributions for success and failure. From a pool of 340 female university students, 60 were separated into depressed and nondepressed groups on the basis of Costello-Comrey Depression Scale scores, and then received either 20, 55, or 80% reinforcement on a word association task. Following the task, attributions were made for outcome using the 4 factors of effort, ability, task difficulty, and luck. In accord with predictions generated from a self-serving biases hypothesis, nondepressives made internal (ability, effort) attributions for a successful outcome (80% reinforcement) and external attributions (luck, task difficulty) for a failure outcome (20% reinforcement). As predicted from consideration of the self-blame component of depression, the attributions made by depressives for a failure outcome were personal or internal. Contrary to expectations, depressives also made internal attributions for a successful outcome. The findings for depressives are discussed in relation to the recently revised learned helplessness model of depression, which incorporates causal attributions. For nondepressives, the findings are considered in terms of the self-serving biases hypothesis. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions and depression: Why is the literature so inconsistent?

A large body of literature examining the relations between depression and causal attributions has produced inconsistent findings. Many studies have clearly had inadequate statistical power, however, so that negative findings cannot be readily interpreted. In this review, statistical power was computed for all published analyses relating depression to attributions to any of the following: internal, stable, or global causes, or their composite, ability/character, effort/behavior, luck, or task difficulty. On average, the power of these analyses was very poor. For example, only 8 of the 87 analyses had a probability of .80 or better of detecting a small–medium true population effect (e.g., r?=?.20). Separating studies by levels of power helped to clarify the inconsistencies in the literature. Whereas across all published studies depression was fairly consistently related only to the composite of internal, stable, and global attributions, those few studies with fairly high power all reported significant relations of depression to stable and global attributions as well as to the composite. It is suggested that increased attention be paid to the power of statistical analyses in planning studies and in drawing conclusions from completed studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and causal attributions: What is their relation?

Discusses the reformulated theory of learned helplessness (L. Y. Abramson et al; see record 1979-00305-001) and evaluates its success in accounting for task performance deficits. The reformulated learned helplessness theory of depression includes 2 primary models of the relation between attributions and depression, the onset model and the vulnerability model. Other models that can be identified include the recovery and coping models (consistent with learned helplessness theory) and the symptom model (inconsistent with the theory). It is concluded from a review of the evidence that there is support for the symptom, recovery, and coping models, but that tests of the onset and vulnerability hypotheses do not offer any confirmation of their validity. The evidence indicates that attributions, like other cognitions, are probably influenced by clinical states; attributions also have considerable predictive value and may be involved in the processes of recovery from and coping with depression. The implications of these findings and the research strategies needed to test the reformulated learned helplessness model are discussed. (62 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and immunocompetence: A review of the literature.

Recent evidence suggests that there is a relationship between depression and immunity. On the basis of these studies, it has been argued that depressed mood may increase susceptibility to disease by means of aberrations occurring within the immune system. Empirical research investigating the relationship between depression and immunity is reviewed here. Studies examining both clinical and nonclinical manifestations of depression are discussed and evaluated. This review reveals that indexes of immunocompetence are lower among people exhibiting depressive symptomology and suggests that immune alterations may be more related to dysphoric mood than to specific situations or events. Alternative hypotheses accounting for links between depressed affect and altered immune states are provided, and suggestions for future research are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression, general distress, and causal attributions among university students.

Attempted to replicate I. H. Gotlib's (see record 1984-15153-001) finding of a high intercorrelation among various measures of distress (depression, state anxiety, trait anxiety, psychosomatic complaints, and assertiveness) within an undergraduate sample. Results obtained from 134 undergraduates found the Beck Depression Inventory to be highly correlated with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory—Form Y, the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, and the Psychosomatic Symptom Checklist, although the assertiveness measure demonstrated some discriminant validity according to a principal-components analysis. A canonical correlation analysis revealed that all 5 measures of distress were significantly related to causal attributions concerning both positive and negative events on the Attributional Style Questionnaire, partially replicating Gotlib's results. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions in paranoia and depression: Internal, personal, and situational attributions for negative events.

Causal attributions for positive and negative hypothetical social events made by paranoid patients, depressed patients, and nonpatient participants were examined via a novel measure of causal locus, the Internal, Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire. Depressed patients tended to attribute negative social events to internal (self-blaming) causes. Nonpatient participants and patients with delusions of persecution tended to avoid such self-blame. However, whereas nonpatient participants tended to choose situational or circumstantial external attributions, paranoid patients tended to choose external attributions that located blame in other individuals. These findings support R. P. Bentall, P. Kinderman, and S. Kaney's (1994) defensive attributional model of persecutory delusions, suggest some modifications to that model, and have implications for the understanding of the relationship between causal attributions and social and self-perception. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors responsible for computed electrogastrographic parameters in humans

OBJECTIVES: Clinical knowledge about myoelectrical frequency is well known, but the factors responsible for recorded myoelectrical amplitude remain less clear. METHODS: We assembled an electrogastrographic system that could automatically compute the dominant myoelectrical frequency and power and power ratio. We enrolled 50 healthy volunteers (25 men and 25 women) to study their myoelectrical characteristics. Three surface electrodes were placed in the fundic, stomach body, and antral positions for two 30-min recordings in the fasting and postprandial states. RESULTS: The three different electrodes recorded similar dominant frequencies of about 3 cpm before and after a meal. The fasting dominant powers from these electrodes were 52.9 +/- 14.7, 44.6 +/- 11.5, and 50.1 +/- 15.1 dB, respectively (p < 0.01), whereas the postprandial dominant powers were 61.6 +/- 28.8, 54.3 +/- 26.6, and 61.9 +/- 27.8 dB, respectively (p < 0.01). Meal ingestion did increase the power (p < 0.05). Women had a lower dominant power than men (p < 0.001). Moreover, the dominant powers of each electrode were significantly correlated with body mass index (r = 0.3-0.36, p < 0.05) regardless of meal ingestion. The postprandial power ratio was not influenced by electrode position, gender, or body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Myoelectrical dominant frequencies and power ratios are similar throughout the whole stomach area, whereas a lower power area exists on the stomach body. Gender-related variation in dominant power seems to be an effect of body size. The power ratio is the only reliable parameter for expressing myoelectrical amplitude.     

Physical attractiveness and attributions for disability.

80 undergraduates viewed stimulus slides of an unattractive or attractive female or an unattractive or attractive male who had allegedly become paraplegic as a result of an automobile accident. Ss then completed a questionnaire assessing the potential causes of the accident, prognosis for the victim's disability, and the victim's level of responsibility for the accident. Results demonstrate that the unattractive victims were perceived as having more permanent disabilities and needing longer rehabilitation periods than the attractive victims. Ss made different attributions of the injury and assigned more personal responsibility to the physically attractive victims. Findings are discussed within the context of the "just world" hypothesis proposed by M. Lerner et al (1976). (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prison inmates' explanations for interpersonal violence: Accounts and attributions.

Explanations given by 44 22–51 yr old male violent offenders for 226 incidents of violence were coded for locus of attribution (e.g., self, other, situation) and for excuse vs justification and were examined for their relationship to certain situational variables (e.g., sex of victim, presence of 3rd parties). Results indicate significant associations that were consistent with predictions from attribution theory. Ss' explanations for their violent behavior were more external than internal, and explanations for violent episodes were more often justifications than excuses. Explanations in the form of excuses were given more frequently when the victim died. Attributions of single perpetrators were less external than those of Ss who acted with accomplices. There was more victim attribution and less situation attribution when the victim was an intimate or familiar. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time perspective and causal attributions for achievement.

Investigated the relation between adolescents' time perspective and attributions for achievement by administering measures of time perspective (continuity, optimism, pessimism, and utilization) and attributions (ability, effort, context, and luck) independently assessed for success and failure to 215 10th graders. A canonical analysis extracted 1 significant canonical root that related the 2 sets of measured variables and indicated that the 2 variates shared 25% of their variance. Interpretation of the structural relation between time perspective and attributions suggests that a more adaptive time perspective relates to (a) attributing achievement success to one's own effort and ability and not to the characteristics of the task or luck and (b) minimizing the attributional role of luck, lack of ability, and task characteristics for achievement failure while acknowledging the role of lack of effort. Implications for motivation enhancement programs are discussed. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Enhancing the impact of counterstereotypic information: Dispositional attributions for deviance.

Counterstereotypic behavior by a single out-group member often fails to change out-group stereotypes because it can be dismissed as an exception to the rule. The impact of the "exception" can be strengthened by making the exception appear to be a typical out-group member and by encouraging a dispositional attribution for the exception's counterstereotypic behavior. These hypotheses were supported in 3 experiments using both artificial and real social categories and both positive and negative stereotypes. When counterstereotypic behavior by a typical member of the out-group was attributed to a stable internal cause, it was effective in moderating out-group stereotypes. However, the same behavior had virtually no impact when it was either performed by an atypical group member or attributed to external causes or to unstable internal causes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Explaining attributions for achievement: A path analytic approach.

A nonmotivational, expectancy-confirmation model of asymmetrical achievement attributions was compared to a theory of attributional egotism. Data permitting tests of the theories and comparisons between them were collected over an entire semester from students taking examinations in an undergraduate course. 469 students provided expectancies, bases for expectancies, and attributions for 3 examinations. It was found that Ss' expectancies were unrealistically high at the beginning of the course but became more accurate over time. Path analysis indicated that expected scores were based on prior performance and, increasingly throughout the semester, on expected effort. ANOVA revealed that Ss were generally egotistical in their outcome attributions, stressing internal factors following success and external ones following failure. Attributions were also influenced by the degree to which expectancies were confirmed if such expectancies were clearly based on the attribution factor in question. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of actor depression on observer attributions: Existence and impact of negative attributions toward the depressed.

This experiment examined whether others explain the successes and failures of depressed versus nondepressed people differently and how these attributions are related to affective and behavioral reactions to a request for psychological help. Ss reported attributions about the success and failure experiences of hypothetical depressed and nondepressed people. Ss also responded to a hypothetical request for psychological help by indicating their attributions, affective reactions, willingness to help, and desire for future social contact. As hypothesized, Ss displayed more negative attributions toward depressed people. Replicating prior research (W. P. Sacco et al; see record 1986-12000-001), Ss responded to the depressive's request for help with mixed emotional and behavioral reactions. Path analyses revealed that attributions influenced affective reactions, which influenced willingness to help; but a more complex pattern emerged from the analysis of desire for future social contact. Results are discussed in terms of the interpersonal impact and possible causes of negative attributions about the experiences of depressed people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions for school-related problems: Teacher perceptions and teacher feedback.

Conducted 2 studies with a total of 54 teachers to examine classroom teachers' attributions for severe school problems. In both studies, teachers who had referred a student for psychological services were asked to assign causality for the referral problem. In Exp II, teacher praise and criticism of referred students were examined as functions of causal attributions. Both studies show that teachers held student factors more responsible for classroom problems than teacher factors and that teachers' attributions varied somewhat for learning vs behavior problems. Exp II indicated that problem students perceived as lacking motivation were criticized more often by their teachers. Relationship of the results to attribution theory and teacher attribution research is discussed, and further research conducted in naturalistic settings is recommended. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions in posttraumatic stress disorder: Implications for clinical research and practice.

In this paper we seek to illuminate connections among basic research findings in cognition and causal inference, clinical research on the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the practices of clinicians who work with trauma survivors. We examine one particular (and, we believe, important) aspect of PTSD: The creation and maintenance of causal attributions about trauma. We suggest that elements of two principal theories of causal induction (the connectionist model and the "Power PC" causal power model) clarify the role of causal attributions in creating and sustaining the symptoms of PTSD. By exploring the role of causal attributions in creating and sustaining posttraumatic symptoms, we hope to understand better the subjective experience of trauma and its sequelae. We then suggest new directions for clinical research on cognitive restructuring in PTSD patients as well as ideas for optimizing attribution-based therapies for trauma survivors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's causal attributions for success and failure in achievement settings: A meta-analysis.

Conducted a meta-analysis of 25 studies (1972–1981 [appended]) on children's attributions for success and failure to test the adequacy of the egotistic bias hypothesis (that attributions are more internal for success and more external for failure) for children in Grades 1–7. Variations in the wording of attributional questions and the research context were also included as factors in the meta-analysis. Results provide support for the egotism hypothesis and indicate that both question wording and research context are important determinants of children's attributions. In general, the egotism effect was supported more for informational than for the more traditional causal wording of the attribution questions. No effects were found for grade level. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attractiveness and corporate success: Different causal attributions for males and females.

113 working men and women were presented with the work history of an assistant vice president (AVP) of a midsized corporation who was either an attractive or unattractive male or female. Additionally, the AVP's rise to the senior ranks was depicted as either unusually rapid or normative in pace. Ss read the material and answered an attributional questionnaire. Results indicate that, as predicted, attractiveness had different effects on the degree to which the AVP's success was attributed to ability depending on whether the AVP was male or female: Males' ability attributions were enhanced and females' ability attributions were detrimentally affected by their good looks. Also as expected, capability judgments followed a similar pattern. Appearance was additionally shown to have different consequences for males and females when likeability and interpersonal integrity were rated. However, contrary to predictions, the rapidity of corporate ascent did not interact with appearance or sex in affecting attributions about or impressions of the stimulus AVPs. Conceptual and practical implications are discussed. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring parental attributions: Conceptual and methodological issues.

A selective review is offered of current issues and new developments in the measurement of parental attributions for social behavior. Attributions have alternatively been conceptualized as involving (a) memory-dependent knowledge structures (i.e., interpretive styles that are dependent on the parent's history) or (b) stimulus-dependent appraisal processes (i.e., interpretations that are dependent on information available in the immediate context). Consideration is given to the theoretical underpinnings of different types of attributional measures and the implicit models within attribution research (e.g., attributions as mediators, attributions as moderators). Finally, psychometric issues within different attributional approaches are discussed, including consideration of the factors that optimize or constrain the utility of different measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)