Despite considerable advances in the development and implementation of school-based interventions, aggressive behavior in schools remains a significant problem for both educators and the community as a whole. The present study was designed to examine possible contextual influences on the course and treatment of aggression in schools, in an effort to inform future intervention development. The aim of the present study was to examine possible influences on teachers' response to reactive and proactive aggression in the classroom, and test the applicability of Weiner's attributional model of motivation and emotion. A sample of 121 middle school teachers completed self-report measures of teaching characteristics, efficacy, stress, and burnout. They also responded to four vignettes of student aggression with measurements of proposed attributions, affective reactions, and interventions. A series of ANOVAs showed that teacher's proposed responses differed as a function of child aggression subtype, teacher stress, burnout, efficacy, and training. Multiple regression analyses were used to test Weiner's theoretical model, as well as consider the moderating influence of teacher characteristics. Findings failed to support the application of Weiner's model to the current sample. Alternative patterns of moderation and mediation were significant, however. Implications of study findings were discussed as they relate to relevant theoretical models and recent advances in clinical and educational research. / Ph. D.

This study investigated the roles of negative affect and cardiovascular reactivity on the attributional responding of hostile males. College males were screened with the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (Cook & Medley, 1954). High and low hostile males were assigned to an arousal inducing (serial subtraction by 7's) or a non-arousal inducing condition (serial subtraction by 1's). Cardiovascular reactivity and self-report of affect were measured to the serial subtraction task. After the task was completed, the participant listened to a vignette (provocative or neutral) which depicted an interpersonal situation. The participant answered questions about the scene to assess attributional responding. The arousal-inducing condition was associated with significantly greater changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate and a higher level of self-reported negative affect than the non-arousal inducing condition. More negative attributions were reported for provocative than neutral scenes. Males in the arousal inducing condition made more negative attributions to neutral scenes than males in the non-arousal condition. There was no significant effect of arousal condition on the negative attributions to provocative scenes. Hostility did not influence the relationship between arousal condition and self-reported affect or arousal condition and attributional responding. This study showed that inducing cardiovascular reactivity prior to a neutral encounter with a partner can affect the males' perception of the potentially neutral encounter. / Master of Science

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Caruthers argues that the mindreading capacity and the introspective capacity are in fact one and the same capacity. This single capacity relies on the same sub-personal "interpretive" mechanism that takes sensory information as input and produces attitudes as output. I use neuroscience research to show that if the “interpretive mechanism” exists, and moreover that it operates in accordance to Caruthers’ description in mindreading tasks, (e.g. detecting external cues and paying attention to others’ behavior), then this operation would have to be handled or implemented at the neural level by the Task Oriented Neural Network. On the other hand, it is well known that self-referential thought, including introspective thought is handled by the Default Mode Network. This consequence is problematic for the view that self and other attitude attributions are done by the same mechanism. The same cognitive operation can not be implemented by two distinct neural networks that are in competition with one another. Moreover, the Default Mode neural network and the Task Oriented networks implement such different types of thinking that they oppose and interrupt one another’s functioning. If the only difference between the two networks were that one simply handles a larger quantity of information than the other, then they wouldn’t be in competition. It appears that there is indeed something special about the very nature of self-referential information such that it determines the type of operations involved in its processing. / text

Research indicates that certain family environments can impact negatively on psychosis. Expressed Emotion (EE) in relatives is a reliable measure of the individual’s interpersonal family environment that has been shown to predict relapse. However, the factors contributing to the development of EE in this condition and the mechanisms by which EE leads to relapse are still poorly understood. Relatives’ control attributions and behaviours have been linked to EE, and controlling behaviours have been found to be predictive of relapse. This thesis investigated the role of behavioural control, controllability and self-blame attributions in high- and low-EE relatives of individuals with psychosis, and explored the impact of these cognitions and behavioural responses on patient’s symptom outcomes and on relative’s distress. The first empirical study (Study 1) utilised a cross-sectional design to compare types of behavioural control attempts (direct influencing vs. buffering) in high-EE-critical/hostile and high-EE-overinvolved relatives of patients with recent-onset psychosis; and examined whether behavioural control attempts and controllability attributions differed for the high- and low-EE relatives. The links between relatives’ behavioural control and patient relapse were also explored. Results confirmed that types of behaviours (direct influencing and buffering) were associated with different sets of beliefs (about controllability) and with different types of EE (criticism and EOI). However, EE, controllability attributions, nor behavioural control predicted patient relapse. Study 2 used a cross-sectional design to explore the links between self-blame attributions and distress, and self-blame attributions and behavioural control in recent-onset relatives. Results showed that self-blame attributions predicted relatives’ controlling behaviours towards the patient. Relatives who blame themselves did so for not overseeing their family member’s mental health problems properly or for perceiving themselves generally as poor carers. However, self-blame was not predictive of distress. The final empirical study (Study 3) examined temporal associations between contact with high/low EE relatives, behavioural control, affect and symptom experiences in the daily life of patient-relative dyads experiencing psychosis, using experience sampling methodology. Findings revealed that contact with high/low-EE relatives per se did not impact on patient’s symptom experiences or affect, but behaviourally controlling interactions did, suggesting that the measure of behavioural interactions rather than the EE status of the relative may be more sensitive to momentary fluctuations in patients’ symptoms. Momentary self-reports of relatives’ behavioural responses were also linked with their negative affect. This thesis evidenced that relatives’ controllability and self-blame attributions and behavioural control are associated in significant and meaningful ways with psychosis experiences and can impact both patient and relative outcomes, shedding some light into the EE mechanisms that relate to relapse and to the development of EE responses in relatives. However, more work is needed to further understand how these mechanisms operate, particularly in high-EE-overinvolved or low-EE relatives, in order to increase our knowledge about relapse prevention. The findings highlighted that the concept of behavioural control should be considered in future clinical work with families experiencing psychosis.

Ce mémoire présente une analyse critique de la solution contextualiste de David Lewis au problème sceptique. Pour Lewis, il s’agit d’un problème de possibilités d’erreur à éliminer. En effet, puisque l’on ne peut pas éliminer diverses hypothèses sceptiques, il semble que la connaissance soit impossible. Ce travail est d’abord une présentation du problème sceptique et de la solution que Lewis lui apporte. On verra que son objectif est de rendre compte de la plausibilité de l’argument sceptique tout en protégeant certaines intuitions au sujet de la connaissance. Ainsi, la théorie de Lewis explique quelles sont les présuppositions qu’il est légitime d’entretenir dans les attributions de connaissance. Ces attributions sont les énoncés de type « S sait que P ». On verra que cela prend la forme d’une théorie contextualiste des possibilités d’erreur pertinentes. Ce travail vise ensuite à situer la thèse de Lewis dans la littérature sur le contextualisme épistémique, c’est-à-dire en général, l’idée selon laquelle le contexte de conversation joue un rôle dans la détermination de la valeur de vérité d’une attribution de connaissance. Nous verrons que les solutions contextualistes au problème sceptique peuvent avoir des résultats significativement différents. Enfin, ce travail présentera des critiques importantes sur Elusive Knowledge. Elles prendront la forme d’un retour sur la manière dont Lewis conçoit le problème du scepticisme et celui de l’élimination des possibilités d’erreur. / This thesis is a critical analysis of David Lewis’s contextualist solution to the skeptical problem. The skeptical problem, for Lewis, is a problem of relevant possibilities of error : given that we cannot rule out various skeptical hypotheses, it seems that knowledge is impossible. The first chapter introduces Lewis’s solution to skepticism. We’ll see that his aim is to account for the plausibility of the skeptical argument, while at the same time to protect some of our intuitions concerning knowledge. To that end, Lewis’s solution points to the specific possibilities which can be properly ignored in our knowledge attributions. Knowledge attributions are sentences like « S knows that P. » We’ll see that this explanation takes the form of a contextualist theory about relevant possibilities of error. The second chapter’s task is to locate Lewis’s theory within the literature on epistemic contextualism. Epistemic contextualism, in general, is the claim that the truth value of knowledge attributions is strongly determined by the context of the conversation. But, as this chapter should emphasize, several solutions to skepticism may share the « contextualist » label, while yielding significantly different results. The final chapter will address some important objections to Elusive Knowledge. They are related to the reasons why, according to Lewis, skepticism is a genuine problem for epistemology; on the other hand, they question the notion of elimination of error possibilities.

The purpose of the research was to investigate the difference in attributions of offenders and magistrates about the factors that led to offending behaviour. Difference in beliefs between offenders and magistrates, about seriousness of some common offences and factors believed to be motives for offending, justification of offending and neutralisation of responsibility for offending were also investigated. The effect that differences in attributions between offenders and magistrates and how these influence the way in which offenders are dealt with in the criminal justice system was investigated. The attitude of criminal justice system professionals, and magistrates towards offenders was also investigated to find out if they affect court sentencing decisions, and the treatment and punishment imposed in an attempt to reduce offending. My research has shown, that offenders and magistrates hold significantly different attributions about the factors that influence people to offend, and about offence seriousness. Offenders and magistrates also hold significantly different beliefs about motives for offending, justification of offending and neutralisation of responsibility for offending. The UK Government Crime Reduction Policy since 1997, has been strongly related to the ‘What Works’ approach. This has influenced sentencing policy and the treatment of offenders. A major strand of the policy has been the introduction and implementation of the What Works’ approach and the use of Cognitive Behavioural Accredited Programmes within the Probation Service and Prison Service to change the behaviour of offenders and reduce recividism (Harper and Chitty 2005). Based on my research findings recommendations are made in the final chapter of the thesis for modifications to the present approach, and the treatment of offenders.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Amber V. Vennum / Sexual desire is important to personal and relational well-being but inevitably declines over time in committed relationships. Individuals, further, commonly report times when they desire more or less sex than their partners (desire discrepancy) which is negatively associated with both relationship and sexual satisfaction. How partner’s make meaning out of (i.e., attributions about their partner’s lower desire for sex) and respond (pursue, withdraw or engage) to moments of discrepant desire is likely influenced by the extent to which partners are able to maintain a clear sense of self in the context of physical and emotional closeness (i.e., their level of differentiation), although this has yet to be tested. Through two studies, I explored the types of attributions and behaviors in response to desire discrepancies and how negative attributions and behaviors mediate the link between differentiation and sexual desire. Specifically in Study 1, I analyzed open-ended responses from 463 participants, using deductive content analysis to examine types of negative attributions and behaviors in response to moments of desire discrepancy. In Study 2, using the findings from Study 1, I developed items to quantitatively measure specific negative attributions and behaviors in response to desire discrepancies. Using a sample of 511 participants, I refined the factor structure of the Desire Discrepancy Attributions and Behaviors Scale and used a path analysis to examine how differentiation is associated with sexual desire both directly and indirectly through negative attributions, emotions, and behaviors (pursue-withdraw). Results indicated that an individual’s level of differentiation is positively associated with sexual desire and this link is significantly mediated by negative attributions and certain negative behaviors. The clinical implications and areas for future research based on the findings of this study are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Amber V. Vennum / Sexual desire is important to personal and relational well-being but inevitably declines over time in committed relationships. Individuals, further, commonly report times when they desire more or less sex than their partners (desire discrepancy) which is negatively associated with both relationship and sexual satisfaction. How partner’s make meaning out of (i.e., attributions about their partner’s lower desire for sex) and respond (pursue, withdraw or engage) to moments of discrepant desire is likely influenced by the extent to which partners are able to maintain a clear sense of self in the context of physical and emotional closeness (i.e., their level of differentiation), although this has yet to be tested. Through two studies, I explored the types of attributions and behaviors in response to desire discrepancies and how negative attributions and behaviors mediate the link between differentiation and sexual desire. Specifically in Study 1, I analyzed open-ended responses from 463 participants, using deductive content analysis to examine types of negative attributions and behaviors in response to moments of desire discrepancy. In Study 2, using the findings from Study 1, I developed items to quantitatively measure specific negative attributions and behaviors in response to desire discrepancies. Using a sample of 511 participants, I refined the factor structure of the Desire Discrepancy Attributions and Behaviors Scale and used a path analysis to examine how differentiation is associated with sexual desire both directly and indirectly through negative attributions, emotions, and behaviors (pursue-withdraw). Results indicated that an individual’s level of differentiation is positively associated with sexual desire and this link is significantly mediated by negative attributions and certain negative behaviors. The clinical implications and areas for future research based on the findings of this study are discussed.

When receiving a negative outcome (e.g., rejection in a job interview), people tend to attribute it to different causes. For members of stigmatised groups, discrimination is a plausible cause for a negative outcome. However, because discrimination has become relatively subtle (Ellemers & Barreto, 2015), members of stigmatised groups always live in an attributional ambiguity where they constantly wonder whether discrimination was the cause of the received negative outcome. Some researchers argue that this attributional ambiguity leads members of stigmatised groups to make attributions to discrimination. In doing so, individuals would protect themselves by discounting their own role in the negative outcome they received. In other words, in order to protect their sense of competence, members of stigmatised groups prefer to make attributions to discrimination rather than their lack of deservingness (i.e., attributions to lack of ability; Crocker & Major, 1989; Major, Kaiser, & McCoy, 2003). On the other hand, other researchers argue that making attributions to discrimination is not necessarily self-protective as perceived discrimination can have negative consequences for individuals. It has been suggested that attributional stability plays a key role in determining the extent to which attributions to discrimination and to lack of ability are perceived as a threat to individuals (Branscombe & Schmitt, & Harvey, 1999; Schmitt & Branscombe, 2002; Dweck & Leggett, 1988). In three studies, I examined the extent to which attributions to discrimination and to lack of ability are threatening/challenging as a function of stability of those attributions. Threat and challenge were measured both via self-reported data and cardiovascular markers. The results confirmed the role of attributional stability in perceived threat/challenge. In addition, in another study I examined whether attributional stability influences the extent to which attributions to discrimination and to lack of ability are made. However, the results of this study did not confirm my expectations, instead, participants consistently made more attributions to their lack of ability irrespective of information about attributional stability.