A Gricean approach to the use of consensus and distinctiveness in causal attributions of verbally described interpersonal events

摘要: Various causal attribution theories, starting with the covariation model, argue that people use consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency information to causally explain events behaviors. Yet, visual presentation of model in form a cube is based on assumptions these dimensions generally affect attributions independently, symmetrically, equally. A Gricean analysis suggests may not hold case judgments for verbally communicated interpersonal events. We had participants judge role an actor patient were described through actor-verb-patient sentences under high versus low consensus distinctiveness (Studies 1, 2, 3) or without such 2 3). As predicted by logic, effects causality ratings depended target whose assessed, about alternative dimension, and, most consistently, being low. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.