Abstract

Research involving attribution theories typically surrounds attributions of responsibility for actions in general. However, people also regularly attribute responsibility to themselves, others, or environmental circumstances for emotions. This research aims to develop a measure of a person's proclivity to attribute responsibility to others for their emotions—the Attributions of Responsibility for Emotions Scale (ARES). The research involves two studies, the first designed to develop items for inclusion in the ARES, and the second designed to validate and determine the reliability of the ARES. Participants in Study 1 included 71 (30 male and 41 female) undergraduate students from Brigham Young University. These participants took part either in focus groups or in responding to a preliminary 24-item version of the ARES online. Participants in Study 2 included 306 undergraduate students from Brigham Young University. These participants responded to several scales, including a 21-item version of the ARES, which all measured constructs similar to responsibility for emotions. Results suggested that a 10-item version of the ARES was the most valid and reliable measure of persons' proclivity for attributing responsibility to others for their emotions.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Psychology

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2008-03-21

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd2344

Keywords

Emotion, Attribution, Responsibility, Scale Validation

Language

English

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