An External Orientation to the Study of Causal Beliefs

Characteristic differences between Chinese and Western cultures are argued to have meaningful implications for attributional belief research and its extension into new cultural settings. This study examined attributional beliefs within and across samples from Taiwan and the United States. To meet unique demands inherent in Chinese culture, an externally oriented perspective was introduced. Accordingly, a new instrument for the assessment of attributional beliefs was developed and demonstrated as providing reliable dimension measurement. Results indicated that although the internal structure of the attributional belief construct appeared valid across the samples, the patterns of dimension relations within each sample were unique. Furthermore, internal and external locus dimensions, assessed separately, appeared to represent distinct concepts and show differential association with adjustment variables. Findings were interpreted based on sociocultural differences between the samples.