Causal attribution in the mixed-motive game: Effects of facilitory and inhibitory environmental forces

Studied the effects of environmental forces in a matrix game on Ss' causal attributions for a simulated other's behavior, using 124 female undergraduates in a 2 * 2 factorial design (100% cooperative vs 100% competitive strategy, competition-facilitating vs competition-inhibiting matrix). Significant Matrix * Strategy interactions for attribution measures indicate that personal attributions were made for behavior which occurred despite inhibitory environmental forces and that environmental attributions were made for behavior which occurred in line with facilitory environmental forces. There was no evidence that causal attributions produced by the procedures mediated either game behavior or trust and liking for the other.