This article explores differences in individual- and group-level allocation of responsibility for task performance following positive and negative performance feedback. In two studies, 330 participants completed and received veridical feedback for a verbal performance task. A group identity measure showed higher levels of group identification in groups with face-to-face interaction compared with those that did not interact. On several measures, both individual-and group-level responses exhibited the classic self- or group-serving response pattern (higher internal attributions for success than for failure). Empirical evidence documents and further refines understanding of a group-serving response pattern in several types of actual collectives.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abrams, D. , & Hogg, M. A. (1998). Prospects for research in group processes and intergroup relations. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 1, 7-20.
2.
Al-Zahrani, S. , & Kaplowitz, S. (1993). Attributional biases in individualistic and collectivistic cultures: A comparison of Americans with Saudis. Social Psychology Quarterly, 56, 223-233.
3.
Bradley, G. W. (1978). Self-serving biases in the attribution process: A reexamination of the fact or fiction question. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 56-71.
4.
Campbell, W. K. , & Sedikides, C. (1999). Self-threat magnifies the self-serving bias: A meta-analytic integration. Review of General Psychology, 3, 23-43.
5.
Choi, I. , Nisbett, R. E., & Norenzayan, A. (1999). Causal attribution across cultures: Variation and universality. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 47-63.
6.
Davis, J. H. (1996). Small group research and the Steiner questions. In E. H. Witte & J. H. Davis (Eds.), Understanding group behavior: Small group processes and interpersonal relations, (Vol. 1, pp. 3-12). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
7.
Davis, J. H. , Stasson, M. F., Parks, C. D., Hulbert, L., Kameda, T., Zimmerman, S., & Ono, K. (1993). Quantitative decisions by groups and individuals: Voting procedures and monetary awards by mock civil juries. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 29, 326-346.
8.
DeMichele, P. E. , Gansneder, B., & Solomon, G. B. (1998). Success and failure attributions of wrestlers: Further evidence of the self-serving bias. Journal of Sport Behavior, 21, 242-255.
9.
Diehl, M. , & Strobe, W. (1991). Productivity loss in idea-generating groups: Tracking down the blocking effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 392-403.
10.
Dietz-Uhler, B. , & Murrell, A. (1998). Effects of social identity and threat on self-esteem and group attributions. Group Dynamics, 2, 24-35.
11.
Forsyth, D. R. , & Kelley, K. N. (1994). Attribution in groups: Estimations of personal contributions to collective endeavors. Small Group Research, 25, 367-383.
12.
Forsyth, D. R. , & Kelley, K. N. (1996). Heuristic-based biases in estimations of personal contributions to collective endeavors. In J. L. Nyeet al.ALL NAMES, PLEASE (Eds.), What’s social about social cognition? Research on socially shared cognition in small groups (pp. 106-123). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
13.
Forsyth, D. , & Schlenker, B. (1977). Attributing the causes of group performance: Effects of performance quality, task importance, and future testing. Journal of Personality, 45, 220-236.NO CITE-DELETE?
14.
Hastie, R. (1986). Review essay: Experimental evidence on group accuracy. In B. Grofman & G. Owen (Eds.), Information pooling and group decision making (pp. 129-157). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
15.
Hinkle, S. , Taylor, L., Fox-Cardamone, D., & Crook, K. (1989). Intragroup identification and intergroup differentiation: A multi component approach. British Journal of Social Psychology, 28, 305-317.
16.
Hogg, M. (1996). Social identity, self-categorization, and the small group. In E. H. Witte & J. H. Davis (Eds.), Understanding group behavior: Small group processes and interpersonal relations (Vol. 2, pp. 227-253). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
17.
Johnson, D. W. , & Johnson, F. P. (1987). Joining together: Group theory and group skills (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
18.
Kashima, Y. , & Triandis, H. (1986). The self-serving bias in attributions as a coping strategy: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 17, 83-97.
19.
Kenny, D. , & Judd, C. (1986). Consequences of violating the independence assumption in analysis of variance. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 422-431.IF NEWSLETTER, PLS. GIVE DATE
20.
Kenny, D. , & LaVoie, L. (1985). Separating individual and group effects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48, 339-348.
21.
Kerr, N. L. , MacCoun, R. J., & Kramer, G. P. (1996). Bias in judgement: Comparing individuals and groups. Psychological Review, 103, 687-719.
22.
Leary, M. , & Forsyth, D. (1987). Attributions of responsibility for collective endeavors. In C. Hendrick (Ed.), Review of personality and social psychology: Vol. 8. Group processes (pp. 167-188). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
23.
Luginbuhl, J. , Crowe, D., & Kahan, J. (1975). Causal attributions for success and failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 86-93.
24.
Martinko, M. J. , & Thomson, N. F. (1998). A synthesis and extension of the Weiner and Kelley attribution models. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 20, 271-284.
25.
McFarlin, D. B. , & Blascovich, J. (1984). Associates test (RAT) as an alternative to illusory performance feedback: A methodological note. Basic & Applied Social Psychology, 5, 223-229.
26.
Miller, R. , & Schlenker, B. (1985). Egotism in group members: Public and private attributions of responsibility for group performance. Social Psychology Quarterly, 48, 85-89.
27.
Mullen, B. , & Riordan, C. A. (1988). Self-serving attributions for performance in naturalistic settings: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 18, 3-22.
28.
Myers, D. G. , & Lamm, H. (1976). The group polarization phenomenon. Psychological Bulletin, 83, 602-627. IF NEWSLETTER, NEED DATE
29.
Myers, J. , DiCecco, J., & Lorch, R. (1981). Group dynamics and individual performances: Pseudo group and quasi-f analyses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 86-98.
30.
Norvell, N. , & Forsyth, D. (1984). The impact of inhibiting or facilitating causal factors on group members’ reactions after success and failure. Social Psychology Quarterly, 47, 293-297.
31.
Pruitt, D. G. (1971). Choice shifts in group discussion: An introductory review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 20, 339-360.
32.
Schlenker, B. , & Miller, R. (1977a). Egocentrism in groups: Self-serving biases or logical information processing?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35, 755-764.
33.
Schlenker, B. , & Miller, R. (1977b). Group cohesiveness as a determinant of egocentric perceptions in cooperative groups. Human Relations, 30, 1039-1055.
34.
Schlenker, B. R. , Miller, R. S., Leary, M. R., & McCown, N. E. (1979). Group performance and interpersonal evaluations as determinants of egotistical attributions in groups. Journal of Personality, 47, 575-594.
35.
Schlenker, B. R. , Weigold, M. F., & Hallam, J. R. (1990). Self-serving attributions in social context: Effects of self-esteem and social pressure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 855-863.
36.
Schuster, B. , Foersterling, F., & Weiner, B. (1989). Perceiving the causes of success and failure: A cross-cultural examination of attributional concepts. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 20, 191-213.
37.
Silvester, J. , Anderson, N. R., & Patterson, F. (1999). Organizational culture change: An inter-group attributional analysis. Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 72, 1-23.
38.
Turner, J. C. , Hogg, M. A., Turner, P. J., & Smith, P. M. (1984). Failure and defeat as determinants of group cohesiveness. British Journal of Social Psychology, 23, 97-111.
39.
Valacich, J. S. , Dennis, A. R., & Connolly, T. (1994). Idea generation in computer-based groups: A new ending to an old story. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 57, 448-467.
40.
Weiner, B. (1979). A theory of motivation for some classroom experiences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71, 3-25.
41.
Weiner, B. (1985). An attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion. Psychological Review, 92, 548-573.
42.
Weiner, B. (1990). Searching for the roots of applied attribution theory. In S. Grahamet al.ALL NAMES, PLS. (Eds.), Attribution theory: Applications to achievement, mental health, and interpersonal conflict (pp. 1-13). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
43.
Weiner, B. , Frieze, I., Kukla, A., Reed, L., Rest, Stanley, & Rosenbaum, R. M. (1987). Perceiving the causes of success and failure. In E. E. Joneset al.ALL NAMES, PLS. (Eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the causes of behavior (pp. 95-120). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
44.
Weiner, B. , Heckhausen, H., Meyer, W., & Cook, R. (1972). Causal ascriptions and achievement behavior: A conceptual analysis of effort and reanalysis of locus of control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 15, 1-20.
45.
Whitley, B. E., Jr. , & Frieze, I. H. (1985). Children’s causal attributions for success and failure in achievement settings: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 608-616.
46.
Whitley, B. E., Jr. , & Frieze, I. H. (1986). Measuring causal attributions for success and failure: A meta-analysis of the effects of question-wording style. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 7, 35-51.
47.
Wiley, M. , Crittenden, K., & Birg, L. (1979). Why a rejection? Causal attribution of a career achievement event. Social Psychology Quarterly, 42, 214-222.
48.
Wolosin, R. , Sherman, S., & Till, A. (1973). Effects of cooperation and competition on responsibility attribution after success and failure. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 9, 220-235.
49.
Zuckerman, M. (1979). Attribution of success and failure revisited, or: The motivational bias is alive and well in attribution theory. Journal of Personality, 47, 245-287.
