“I Wanna Thank Me”: Reputational Consequences of Attribution Locus Depend on Outcome Valence
(A2024-119528)

AUTHORS

Ignazio Ziano, University of Geneva; Adam Wang, James Cook University, Singapore campus; Ovul Sezer, Cornell University

ABSTRACT

Six studies (five preregistered; total n = 3,944; with French and U.S. adult participants) show that the reputational consequences of attributing an outcome to internal or external sources depend on the outcome valence. Individuals are liked more, and considered more competent and warmer when they attribute successes to external sources and when they attribute failures to internal sources, such as their personal effort or skill. Consequently, participants donate more to others who fit this attribution profile. This preference is driven by participants’ belief that targets attributing successes internally and failures externally are misrepresenting their contribution to the outcome. Provision of counter-valenced external information about contribution to an outcome weakens these effects. We discuss theoretical implications for impression formation and the psychology of perceived contribution, and practical implications for communication in organisational and workplace settings.