Casual dimensions of college students' perceptions of physical symptoms

According to attribution theory, controllability, locus, and stability are important dimensions underlying causal explanations. The extent to which these theoretical dimensions underlie lay explanations for physical symptoms is unclear. Accordingly, in this study, attributes relevant to the lay public were empirically derived using a multidimensional scaling (MDS) procedure. Undergraduates (N = 194) provided similarity judgments for 18 potential causes of physical discomfort. The MDS analysis yielded a three-dimensional solution. The first dimension captured the distinction between "physical" and "nonphysical" causes. The second dimension distinguished either "variable" versus "stable" causes or those that are "controllable" versus "uncontrollable" by health care professionals. The third dimension differentiated causes under "low" versus "high" personal control. These findings empirically confirm the theoretically proposed dimensions of "personal control" and "stability" and suggest the utility of considering the "physical/nonphysical" and "controllability by health care professional" distinctions in future work on attributions in the health domain.