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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper aligmnent can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 EXPERTISE IN CAUSAL REASONING AND THE ATTRIBUTIONAL COMPLEXITY SCALE: AN EVALUATION OF CONSTRUCT VALIDITY Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University by Robert Willson Flaherty, B.S., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1996 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Robert M. Arkin, Ph.D., Chair Marilynn B. Brewer, Ph.D. ^ Û aÆ-</L Thomas E . Nygren, Ph.D. Adviser Gifford Weary, Ph.D. Department of Psychology UMI Number: 9620013 UMI Microform 9620013 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. AU rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Dedicated with love to Mom & Dad 11 Acknowledgments This project could not have been completed without the help and support of a great number of people. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and friendship towards Bob Arkin for his support, advice, and critical input on this project as well as at many stages of my graduate education. Many thanks as well are directed towards the other members of the dissertation committee, Marilynn Brewer, Rich Petty, Tom Nygren and Gifford Weary, for their comments and suggestions. Special thanks to Gifford Weary for an extra effort in helping me to cope with unforseen complications. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of Gregory R. Snyder and Peter Woodward for their invaluable effort in data collection. My love and appreciation I give to my wife and sweetheart. Peg Waterman, for her support and critical commentary on earlier drafts of this manuscript. I give many thanks to Evelyn Waterman for her support and for having such a wonderful daughter. I wish also to thank my own parents Don & Martha Jean Flaherty for their support and love, without which I might never have embarked on this endeavor. Finally, I wish to thank my grandmother, Martha E. Crain, who has always believed in me. iii VITA May 4, 1965 ............................. Born- Seattle, Washington June, 1989 ............................. Bachelor of Science, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington December, 1991 ..........................Master of Arts The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Professional Memberships American Psychological Association, Student Affiliate American Psychological Society, Student Affiliate Midwestern Psychological Association, Student Affiliate Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Student Affiliate Ad hoc reviewer: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Theses and Publications Flaherty, R. W. (1991). The nature and implications of Attributional complexity: Individual differences in social information processing. Unpublished master's thesis. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Professional Presentations Flaherty, R. W., & Williams, K. D. Social loafing and collective hedonism: Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association Chicago, 1989. Flaherty, R. W., & Arkin, R. M. Dates and mates: Individual differences in structuring affiliation patterns. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, 1991. IV Professional Presentations (continued) Flaherty, R. W., & Arkin, R. M. Cognitive gymnastics: self esteem protection and Attributional appraisal in depressed and nondepressed subjects. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, 1992. Flaherty, R. W., & Arkin, R. M. Attributional complexity and the polarization of future performance outcomes. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, 1992. Snyder, G. W., Flaherty, R. W., & Arkin, R. M. Self-esteem protection in depressed and nondepressed subjects: Are depressed subjects more threatened by success? Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, 1992. Flaherty, R. W., & Arkin, R. M. Thinking and feeling: The influence of attributional complexity on affective reactions to performance outcomes. Paper presented at the annual meetings of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, 1993. Fields of Study Major field: Psychology Studies in social psychology. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE DEDICATION........................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................iii VITA............................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES...................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES................................................ viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION............................................... 1 II. PRELIMINARY STUDY; SYNTHESIS OF SORTING TASK MATERIALS 3 0 III. STUDY 1: DIRECT MEASURES OF STRUCTURE....................37 IV. FOLLOW UP STUDY (STUDY 2) ................................ 63 V. STUDY 3: INDIRECT MEASURES OF STRUCTURE................. 87 VI. MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING................................117 VII. GENERAL DISCUSSION....................................... 128 REFERENCES....................................................... 145 FOOTNOTES........................................................ 152 FIGURES........................................................... 154 APPENDICES A. Causal factors generated by student sample B. List of causal factors for sorting tasks C. Examples of simple and complex sorts D. Hard copy of the computer program for calculating H , I C , centralization, and for the creation of similarities matrices from the sorting data E. Instructions for subjects in Study 1 F. Background questionnaire G. Questions assessing domain specific causal uncertainty H. Hard copy of the computer program for obtaining pretesting values for consistent and inconsistent factors I . Hard copy of the computer program for presenting stimuli and collecting data for Study 3 J. Hard copy of the computer program for gathering similarities data from a cyclic missing data design VI LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. ACS Scale items grouped by 'underlying attributional dimension................................... 5 2. Achievement causal factors based on past research..... 33 3. Relationship causal factors based on past research.... 34 4. Relationship among measures of complexity derived from the sorting task .................................... 45 5. Distribution of ACS scores in previous and current research................................................... 47 6. Basic correlations and reliabilities for Study 2 .......70 7. Pretest ratings of stimulus materials for Study 3 ......94 8. Inter-rater reliabilities for recall data...............98 9. Correlations between recall measures and complexity measures..................................... 100 Vll LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE Figure 1 : Scatter plot of ACS scores by academic differentiation 154 Figure 2 : Main effect of ACS scores on academic differentiation 155 Figure 3 : Main effect of ACS scores on relationship differentiation 156 Figure 4 : Main effect of ACS scores on academic image comparability 157 Figure 5 : Main effect of ACS scores on relationship image comparability 158 Figure 6 : Interaction of ACS and gender on academic image comparability 159 Figure 7 : Interaction of ACS and task order on academic differentiation 160 Figure 8 : Interaction of ACS and task order on relationship differentiation 161 Figure 9 : Interaction of ACS and task order on relationship image comparability 152 Figure 10 Main effect of ACS scores on ratings of the importance of understanding academic causes 163 Figure 11: Interaction of ACS and task order at Time 2 on relationship differentiation at Time 2 164 Figure 12 : Interaction of ACS and task order at Time 1 on relationship image comparability at Time 1 165 Figure 1 3 i The relationship between differentiation measures and ACS scores for the combined data from Study 1 and Study 2 166 Figure 14 ; Interaction of ACS scores and task order on relationship differentiation for the combined data