A selective review is offered of current issues and new developments in the
measurement of parental attributions for social behavior. Attributions hav
e alternatively been conceptualized as involving (a) memory-dependent knowl
edge structures (i.e., interpretive styles that are dependent on the parent
's history) or (b) stimulus-dependent appraisal processes (i.e.; interpreta
tions that are dependent on information available in the immediate context)
. Consideration is given to the theoretical underpinnings of different type
s of attributional measures and the implicit models within attribution rese
arch (e.g., attributions as mediators, attributions as moderators). Finally
, psychometric issues within different attributional approaches are discuss
ed, including consideration of the factors that optimize or constrain the u
tility of different measures.