Abstract
Attribution theory deals with the causal explanations people find for things happening around them, and also with the extent of control people feel they have over external events. When applied to computer use, specific computer-related attribution styles can be found. However, so far research on computer-related attributions has only been conducted with Western samples, and intercultural differences have not been taken into account. In this study we investigated computer-related attribution styles among Chinese users by means of an online survey with N = 66 participants. Based on characteristics of Chinese culture, we hypothesized that Chinese computer users would show predominantly external attribution patterns. This hypothesis was confirmed for attribution of success, while attribution of failure followed different patterns. Generally, Chinese attribution styles matched those found among Western samples, albeit the prevalence of each style varied between Eastern and Western users.
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Janneck, M., Xiao, J., Niels, A. (2017). Computer-Related Attributions: An Intercultural Comparison. In: Ahram, T., Karwowski, W. (eds) Advances in The Human Side of Service Engineering. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 494. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41947-3_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41947-3_16
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