Causal attributions, expectancies, past frequency of occurrence, and affect of 50 fifth grade children were compared in important and unimportant negative social situations. Important negative social situations were rated as having more global causes, being more upsetting, having greater frequency of past occurrence, and greater expectancy of future occurrence than unimportant situations. Sex interacted with importance for causal attributions. Sex differences in causal attributions emerged for important but not for unimportant situations. Children's free-response explanations for why situations were important or unimportant were also examined.
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