“Attribution theory concerns the process by which an individual interprets events "as being caused by particular parts of the relatively stable environment" (Heider, p. 297). Consideration of attribution theory is relevant for a symposium on motivation in several respects. The theory describes processes that operate as if the individual were motivated to attain a cognitive mastery of the causal structure of his environment.”

—  Harold Kelley

Source: "Attribution theory in social psychology." 1967, p. 193

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Harold Kelley 10
American psychologist & academic 1921–2003

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