The effect of self-serving attribution on attraction in additive- and conjunctive-task groups

The prediction that the effect of self-serving attribution on personal attraction will vary according to task type was tested. Twenty-four groups of Turkish students, each consisting of 1 participant and 3 confederates, received success feedback after having performed either an additive or a conjunctive task. Two of the confederates made either self-serving or group-serving attributions, whereas the 3rd confederate attributed success to the collective efforts of all group members. Following these attributions, the participants filled out a form to indicate the degree to which they preferred each member as a friend and a work mate. Self-serving attributors in the conjunctive-task condition were less preferred as friends than the self-serving attributors in the additive-task condition. Also, the additive-task participants' ratings for other group members were systematically higher than those of the conjunctive-task participants. Thus, there was a main effect of task type for both friends and workmates.