The role of attribution of causality in economic decision making

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics
Year: 2012
Volume: 41
Issue: 4
Pages: 439-444

Authors (3)

Gurevich, Gregory (not in RePEc) Kliger, Doron (University of Haifa) Weiner, Bernard (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Research has established that economic decisions often deviate from game theoretic predictions. We explore the process of causal thinking as a possible explanation for such deviations. Specifically, we suggest that causal information affects economic decisions based on the principles advocated by Weiner's (1985, 1986) attribution theory (AT) of motivation and emotion. Prior research in this area considered only subsets of the dimensions employed by the theory. We test the predictions stemming from AT in contexts where economic decisions involve sharing gains between party members (e.g., splitting profits) and assess how such decisions are affected by the reasons attributed for obtaining the gains. Results indicate a significant link between causal attribution and economic decisions and shed light on the rules and the rationale that guide this link. We conclude that research into economic decision making should pay a greater attention to the explanatory value of AT.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:soceco:v:41:y:2012:i:4:p:439-444
Journal Field
Experimental
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25