The Effects of Attributional Processes on Boredom Proneness Lisa M. Polly Stephen J. Vodanovich Department of Psychology, University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514 John D. Watt Department of Psychology, Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 66506 Michael J. Blanchard Department of Psychology, University of West Florida Pensacola, FL 32514 The present study examinedthe" unique" contributions of attributional complexity and causal dimension (stability, internality) scores in the prediction of boredom proneness. A group of 214 undergraduate stu-dents completed the Boredom Proneness, Attributional Complexity, and Causal Dimension scales. As hypothesized, both attributional complex-ity and causal dimension scores were significant predictors of boredom proneness. Boredom proneness was found to be associated with lower attributional complexity scores and more stable attributions. Itwas also foundthathigh boredomproneness scoreswere associatedwith internal attributions for boredom. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that after attributional complexity and the causal dimensions were enteredfirst into the equation, the effects of gender did not make a significant contribution to the prediction of boredom proneness. Implicationsforpreviouslyfound gender differences and attributional retraining are discussed. Boredom has been implicated as a correlate of a vast array of health and social problems. That is, it has been found to relate to such negative outcomes as substance abuse (Pascale & Sylvester, 1988; Paulson, Coombs & Richardson, 1990), drunken driving (Arnett, 1990); eating disorders (Abramson & Stinson, 1977; Ganley, 1989), pathological gambling (Blaszczynski, McConaghy, & Frankova, 1990), and poor academic achievement (Maroldo, 1986). Boredom has also been shown to be Authors' Note: Address all correspondence concerning this article to the second author (E-rnail: Svodanov~ uwf). Journal of Social Behaior and Personality, 1993, Vol. 8, No. 1, 123-132. 01993 Select Press 124 JOURNAL OF SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND PERSONALITY associated with employment issues such as job dissatisfaction (O'Hanlon, 1981), and property damage (Drory, 1982). The literature has indicated that causal attributions and a construct such as attributional complexity may influence the tendency to be bored. However, the contribution of such variables has not been examined empirically. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to quantify the impact of attributional processes on boredom proneness. Theoretical literature associating boredom and the construct of attributional complexity is exemplified by the research of Perkins and Hill (1985). They discuss boredom as being related to the tendency for individuals to perceive stimuli as unidimensional and one-sided. They state that"... cognitive changes in the direction of less differentiated and more homogeneous construing give rise to a state of subjective monotony which induces, or perhaps even represents, the state we call boredom (1985, p. 231)." Other theoretical literature by Hamilton (1981) and Hamilton, Haier, and Buchsbaum (1984) indicates that boredom proneness may be related to an individual's attentional control. They speculate that highly involved and intrinsically interested individuals focus their attention on the com-plexities of the situation to the exclusion of potential distractors. On the other hand, individuals viewing situations with a narrow or singular focus report higher feelings of monotony and an increased awareness of time passage. Research has also indicated that causal attributions may affect bore-dom levels. For instance, the�…