Evaluation and Behavior

Abstract

In Chapter Six We Discussed how the intersecting comparison and attribution systems influence attributions for affect. In short, people attribute causality for affect to the most plausible of possible causes. When self is most plausible, people attribute causality to it, provided their rate of improvement is sufficient. When the standard is most plausible, people attribute causality to it rather than to self. When the perceived rate of improvement is insufficient, attention to self is automatically suppressed. Suppression of self-focus essentially deletes self from the set of possible causes, so the attribution system proceeds attributing to the most plausible cause available. This could be something associated with the external environment (Duval & Silvia, in press) or other people (Silvia & Duval, in press). But what are the consequences of these attributions? We focus on this issue in the present chapter.