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Three Principles of Explanation

Verb Schemas, Balance, and Imbalance Repair

University of Chemnitz Chemnitz, Germany

Ulrich von Hecker

Cardiff University Cardiff, United Kingdom

Two studies demonstrated that explanations of interpersonal events are governed by the principles of implicit verb causality and balance. In addition, the data indicate that subjectively imbalanced interpersonal events (e.g., John admires Jack because he is so arrogant) elicit processes designed to achieve imbalance repair. In contrast to previous studies, we analyzed subjective (rather than objective) balance and imbalance as well as the cognitive processes mediating the repair of subjectively imbalanced situations. The results suggest that repair mechanisms implied by perceived imbalance vary consistently for different kinds of verbs. Moreover, imbalance repair results in highly systematic attributions to different persons or specific interactions between the persons involved, in line with predictions derived from Kelley's covariation principle. Additional analyses of perceived covariation information provided evidence that these repair mechanisms are mediated by reevaluations of covariation information implicit in the meaning of the verbs used to describe the interpersonal event.

Key Words: implicit verb causality • covariation • attribution • balance

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