Two Sources of Influence Related to the Use of the Discounting Principle: Specific Versus General Causal Attributions and the Believability of Attributions

Numerous studies on causal attribution have supported the discounting principle which has been stated by Kelley (1973) as follows: "The role of a given cause in producing a given effect is discounted if other causes are also present" (p. 113). Kun, Murray, and Sredl (1980) have noted that discounting is not, as previously assumed, an implication of the multiple sufficient causal (MSC) schema, and concluded that naive attributors are logically biased and naive in conceptually based thinking for discounting. In contrast Jones (1979) has assumed the appropriateness of discounting, but has found attributors lacking for discounting insufficiently. He has focused upon the attitude attribution realm in his discussion of the fundamental attribution error, the failure to fully discount dispositional causes in the face of situational ones.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Pirok, Edna Wilson

• Psychology, Social

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8324622

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/68875