?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Attributions+as+Behavior+Explanations%3A+Toward+a+New+Theory&rft.creator=Malle%2C+Bertram&rft.subject=Philosophy+of+Mind&rft.subject=Social+Psychology&rft.description=Attribution+theory+has+played+a+major+role+in+social-psychological+research.+Unfortunately%2C+the+term+attribution+is+ambiguous.++According+to+one+meaning%2C+forming+an+attribution+is+making+a+dispositional+(trait)+inference+from+behavior%3B++according+to+another+meaning%2C+forming+an+attribution+is+giving+an+explanation+(especially+of+behavior).++The+focus+of+this+paper+is+on+the+latter+phenomenon+of+behavior+explanations.++In+particular%2C+I+discuss+a+new+theory+of+explanation+that+provides+an+alternative+to+classic+attribution+theory+as+it+dominates+the+textbooks+and+handbooks%E2%80%94which+is+typically+as+a+version+of+Kelley%E2%80%99s+(1967)+model+of+attribution+as+covariation+detection.++I+begin+with+a+brief+critique+of+this+theory+and%2C+out+of+this+critique%2C+develop+a+list+of+requirements+that+an+improved+theory+has+to+meet.++I+then+introduce+the+new+theory%2C+report+empirical+data+in+its+support%2C+and+apply+it+to+a+number+of+psychological+phenomena.++I+finally+conclude+with+an+assessment+of+how+much+progress+we+have+made+in+understanding+behavior+explanations+and+what+has+yet+to+be+learned.&rft.date=2003&rft.type=Preprint&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F3314%2F1%2FExplanation_theory_03.pdf&rft.identifier=++Malle%2C+Bertram++(2003)+Attributions+as+Behavior+Explanations%3A+Toward+a+New+Theory.++%5BPreprint%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F3314%2F