Attribution theory

Attribution theory suggests that there are two main types of explanation for the causes of behaviour. (This is the case whether we are considering safety or any other aspect of behaviour.) The first type of explanation is one that is accepted, almost without question, by the man in the street. It is that a person s behaviour is caused by characteristics such as their personality or their attitudes. Thus accidents are perceived as being caused by peoplebeing accident-prone, foolhardy, negligent, or having a poor safety attitude. In attribution theory terms these explanations are referred 

This SAGE ebook is copyright and is supplied by NetLibrary. Unauthorised distribution forbidden 

---

The idea that all substances can be separated into tiny indivisible particles called atoms, molecules and ions is widely accepted. Students are familiar with atoms and molecules per favour of the popular media and stylised atoms are the logo for several science TV programs (Johnston, 1990). Children are aware of atoms and molecules well before particle theory is taught in school (Lee et al., 1993). But this is where the similarity between science and student preconceptions ends because students consistently attribute the macroscopic properties of matter to its sub-microscopic particles (Albanese Vicenti, 1997). Similar alternative conceptions, which have given rise to the naive or attribution theory, have been reported in several studies. Seven features, that comprise commonly held alternative conceptions by school students, are now described. 

See, e.g., Armstrong (1968, chaps. 2, ), especially the critique of dual attribute theories of mind. 

DeJoy, D.M. (1994). Managing Safety in the Woikplace An Attribution Theory Analysis and Model. Journal of Safety Research, 25(1), 3-17. 

The subjective biases of the decision-makers are a concern. In attribution-theory research, people s judgements in determining accident causes and selecting remedies are studied (DeJoy, 1994). Due to the fact that accidents often are causally ambiguous and emotionally charged, subjective biases play an important role in the attribution of causes. Self-protective biases on behalf of the supervisor makes him/her likely to deny his/her own responsibility for an accident. Instead, the accident is often attributed to causes beyond the supervisor s control by blaming the workers involved. They, on the other hand, are likely to favour situational causes in the working environment. 

Weiner, B. An Attribution Theory of Motivation and Emotion. Springer, Berlin (1986)... 

At the time the experiments were perfomied (1984), this discrepancy between theory and experiment was attributed to quantum mechanical resonances drat led to enhanced reaction probability in the FlF(u = 3) chaimel for high impact parameter collisions. Flowever, since 1984, several new potential energy surfaces using a combination of ab initio calculations and empirical corrections were developed in which the bend potential near the barrier was found to be very flat or even non-collinear [49, M], in contrast to the Muckennan V surface. In 1988, Sato [ ] showed that classical trajectory calculations on a surface with a bent transition-state geometry produced angular distributions in which the FIF(u = 3) product was peaked at 0 = 0°, while the FIF(u = 2) product was predominantly scattered into the backward hemisphere (0 > 90°), thereby qualitatively reproducing the most important features in figure A3.7.5. 

Though by no means a complete theory, this is at least a reasonable explanation of the Knudsen minimum, and it then remains to explain why the minimum is not observed for flow through porous media. Pollard and Present attributed this to the limited length/diameter ratio of the channels in a typical porous medium and gave a plausible argument in favor of this view. 

Frontier orbital analysis is a powerful theory that aids our understanding of a great number of organic reactions Its early development is attributed to Professor Kenichi Fukui of Kyoto University Japan The application of frontier orbital methods to Diels-Alder reactions represents one part of what organic chemists refer to as the Woodward-Hoffmann rules a beautifully simple analysis of organic reactions by Professor R B Woodward of Harvard University and Professor Roald Hoffmann of Cornell University Professors Fukui and Hoffmann were corecipients of the 1981 Nobel Prize m chemistry for their work... 

Next let us consider the differences in molecular architecture between polymers which exclusively display viscous flow and those which display a purely elastic response. To attribute the entire effect to molecular structure we assume the polymers are compared at the same temperature. Crosslinking between different chains is the structural feature responsible for elastic response in polymer samples. If the crosslinking is totally effective, we can regard the entire sample as one giant molecule, since the entire volume is permeated by a continuous network of chains. This result was anticipated in the discussion of the Bueche theory for chain entanglements in the last chapter, when we observed that viscosity would be infinite with entanglements if there were no slippage between chains. 

The well-known DLVO theory of coUoid stabiUty (10) attributes the state of flocculation to the balance between the van der Waals attractive forces and the repulsive electric double-layer forces at the Hquid—soHd interface. The potential at the double layer, called the zeta potential, is measured indirectly by electrophoretic mobiUty or streaming potential. The bridging flocculation by which polymer molecules are adsorbed on more than one particle results from charge effects, van der Waals forces, or hydrogen bonding (see Colloids). 

J ct Spra.y, The mechanism that controls the breakup of a Hquid jet has been analy2ed by many researchers (22,23). These studies indicate that Hquid jet atomisation can be attributed to various effects such as Hquid—gas aerodynamic interaction, gas- and Hquid-phase turbulence, capillary pinching, gas pressure fluctuation, and disturbances initiated inside the atomiser. In spite of different theories and experimental observations, there is agreement that capillary pinching is the dominant mechanism for low velocity jets. As jet velocity increases, there is some uncertainty as to which effect is most important in causing breakup. 

J. Chem. Educ., 50, 864 (1973)], theory shows that the degree of separation that is obtained increases as the liquid column is made taller. But unfortunately it decreases as the column is made wider. In simple terms, the latter effect can be attributed to the increase in the dispersion coefficient as the column is widened. 

It is possible to assume other transformation properties for k. For example, for some purposes it may be more desirable to attribute strainlike properties obeying a transformation law like (A. 19), in which case the equations of this section will take a somewhat different form. Of course, k may be taken to be comprised of a number of such tensors, and it is not difficult to extend the theory to include a number of indifferent scalars and vectors, if desired. 

The key here was the theory. The pioneers familiarity with both the kinematic and the dynamic theory of diffraction and with the real structure of real crystals (the subject-matter of Lai s review cited in Section 4.2.4) enabled them to work out, by degrees, how to get good contrast for dislocations of various kinds and, later, other defects such as stacking-faults. Several other physicists who have since become well known, such as A. Kelly and J. Menter, were also involved Hirsch goes to considerable pains in his 1986 paper to attribute credit to all those who played a major part. 

---