title: Dispositional attribution: multiple inferences about motive-related traits.
abstract: This research views dispositional inference as a process whereby perceivers integrate multiple inferences about a target person's motives and traits. The findings suggest that although perceived motives may stimulate extra attributional processing (S. Fein, 1996), the content of the inferred motive is important as well. Perceivers learned about situational forces implying that a target person had free choice, no choice, or an ulterior motive for helpful behavior. Inferences about the target's helpfulness differed depending on whether the target's behavior was attributed to an obedience motive (no-choice condition) or to a selfish motive (ulterior-motive condition). In general, inferences about motives were more predictive of dispositional inferences than were global causal attributions (to situational vs. dispositional forces) or base rate assumptions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4620, USA. gdreeder@ilsru.edu
authors.forename: Glenn D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.forename: Roos
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vonk
authors.forename: Marla J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ronk
authors.forename: Jaap
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lawrence
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001290:Attitude; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011930:Reaction Time; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014743:Videotape Recording; D014796:Visual Perception