Evidence for content-specificity of causal attributions across the adult life span

Attributions for events with information varying on level of causality and context (relationship, achievement) were examined in young, middle-aged, an d older adults. Participants rated the degree to which the causes of an eve nt were a function of three dispositional dimensions of the primary charact er, two dimensions of situational factors, and a combination of these. They also wrote essays justifying their ratings. Older and younger adults made more dispositional attributions than middle-aged adults did in relationship situations. Younger and middle-aged adults were more relativistic in their causal attributions than older adults. Relative proportions of disposition al justifications correlated with quantitative dispositional ratings, but o nly for relationship situations (suggesting strong domain-specific influenc es on attributional judgments). Clusters of individuals differing in patter ns of attributional justifications were identified. Cluster groups showed s alient differences in dispositional ratings and dialectical reasoning. Find ings are discussed in terms of how beliefs and values individuals hold abou t situations influence attributional judgments.