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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Straightforward Assay for Quantification of Social Avoidance in Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: December 13, 2014

Asymmetrical attributions for approach versus avoidance behavior.

Tobias Greitemeyer¹, Bernard Weiner

¹Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Leopoldstrasse 13, 80202 Munich, Germany. togre@psy.uni-muenchen.de

Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin

|June 11, 2004

Summary

People perceive others as more responsible for their actions when positive incentives, like rewards, are involved compared to negative ones, like punishments. This finding holds true across various motivational contexts.

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Understanding how motivational contexts influence judgments of responsibility and attribution is crucial for social cognition.
Previous research has explored person and situation attributions, but the specific impact of incentive valence on responsibility inferences requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the valence of motivational incentives (positive vs. negative) affects responsibility inferences and attributions.
To determine if this effect is moderated by perceived compliance rates or extends to other motivational contexts.

Main Methods:

Five experiments were conducted, involving participants evaluating hypothetical scenarios with varying incentive valences (rewards vs. punishments).
Participants made judgments about responsibility, person attributions, and situation attributions.
Statistical controls were applied to account for perceived compliance rates.

Main Results:

Participants consistently attributed greater responsibility to individuals when positive incentives were involved compared to negative incentives.
This effect persisted even when controlling for perceived compliance rates.
Greater dispositional attributions were also observed in positive incentive contexts.

Conclusions:

The valence of motivational incentives significantly influences responsibility inferences and dispositional attributions.
This 'incentive valence effect' is robust and generalizes across different appetitive and aversive motivational contexts.