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

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Attribution Theory

Background:

• Attribution theory explains how individuals interpret events.
• Self-serving bias involves attributing success to internal factors and failure to external ones.
• Personal attraction is influenced by attributions made within group settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if task type moderates the effect of self-serving attributions on interpersonal attraction.
• To examine how different attribution styles (self-serving vs. group-serving) affect friendship and workmate preferences.
• To determine the influence of additive versus conjunctive tasks on these effects.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-four groups of Turkish students (1 participant, 3 confederates) performed either an additive or conjunctive task.
• Success feedback was provided.
• Confederates made self-serving, group-serving, or collective attributions for success.
• Participants rated their preference for each group member as a friend and workmate.

Main Results:

• Self-serving attributors were less preferred as friends in conjunctive tasks compared to additive tasks.
• Participants in additive tasks rated other group members more favorably overall than those in conjunctive tasks.
• A significant main effect of task type was observed for both friend and workmate preferences.

Conclusions:

• Task type is a critical factor influencing the impact of self-serving attributions on interpersonal attraction.
• The dynamics of additive tasks may foster more positive intergroup perceptions than conjunctive tasks, irrespective of attribution style.
• Findings highlight the context-dependent nature of attributional effects in social interactions.