• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Massey Documents by Type
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • Massey Documents by Type
    • Theses and Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Attribution, its application to job satisfaction and problem solving : a thesis completed in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

    Icon
    View/Open Full Text
    01_front.pdf (610.4Kb)
    02_whole.pdf (15.73Mb)
    Export to EndNote
    Abstract
    In the present study, unresolved issues associated with the meaning and measurement of causal attribution are addressed, and the implications for application to organisational behaviour are considered. Causal attributions, made by 233 New Zealand managers, about occupational success and failures, were measured with the Occupational Attributional Style Questionnaire (OASQ), (Furnham, Sadka and Brewin, 1992). Those attributions were examined in terms of their relationships to Problem Solving (as measured by the Social Problem Solving Inventory - Revised, D'Zurilla and Nezu, 1990) and Job Satisfaction, which was assessed with the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weiss, Dawis, England and Lofquist, 1967). As predicted, managers who had a more positive attributional style reported greater job satisfaction (r = .22, p < .01), and better problem solving attitudes (r = .39, p < .001) and problem solving skills (r = .32, p < .001). In accordance with the urging of Carver (1989), both a single score and the individual components of causal attribution were assessed in determining those relationships. It is concluded that a single score of attribution is both a superior predictor and at an appropriate level of abstraction. However, it is also concluded that the comparison between a single score and the components is necessary to enhance understanding. There is evidence that in naturalistic settings, the importance of an event to the individual may moderate relationships between attribution and other variables but the present study concludes that this is not the case in responding to measures such as the OASQ. It is concluded that causal attribution may be a useful construct in predicting organisational behaviour but refinement is required of its measure and its conceptual meaning. Implications for further research and theory development are noted.
    Date
    1994
    Author
    Walker, Helen
    Rights
    The Author
    Publisher
    Massey University
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10179/6753
    Collections
    • Theses and Dissertations
    Metadata
    Show full item record

    Copyright © Massey University
    | Contact Us | Feedback | Copyright Take Down Request | Massey University Privacy Statement
    DSpace software copyright © Duraspace
    v5.7-2020.1-beta1
     

     

    Tweets by @Massey_Research
    Information PagesContent PolicyDepositing content to MROCopyright and Access InformationDeposit LicenseDeposit License SummaryTheses FAQFile FormatsDoctoral Thesis Deposit

    Browse

    All of MROCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Copyright © Massey University
    | Contact Us | Feedback | Copyright Take Down Request | Massey University Privacy Statement
    DSpace software copyright © Duraspace
    v5.7-2020.1-beta1