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Attribution of Responsibility as a Basis for Sanctioning Behaviour
Author(s) -
SHAW MARVIN E.,
REITAN HAROLD T.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1969.tb00610.x
Subject(s) - attribution , sanctions , psychology , outcome (game theory) , social psychology , sample (material) , clinical psychology , law , political science , chemistry , mathematics , mathematical economics , chromatography
The discrepancy between attribution of responsibility (AR) and assignment of sanctions (AS) was examined in two experiments. In the first experiment, four occupational groups (lawyers, policemen, military personnel, and ministers) were sampled. Mean differences between AR and AS (AR minus AS) were: lawyers, 0.54; policemen, 0.78; military personnel, 0.93; and ministers, 1.04 ( P < 0.10). In no case was AS greater than AR. For all groups, sanctioning was influenced relatively more by the intensity of the outcome than was AR. Greater AR‐AS discrepancies occurred with lower‐ than with higher‐outcome intensities. A second study comparing AR and AS in a sample of college students supported these findings. These results were interpreted as showing that AR provides the basis for AS, but the extent to which the actor will be sanctioned is also influenced by other factors.