What Happened? Teaching Attributions with Ambiguous Prompts

• In Event: G.I.F.T.S. Session III

Abstract

I searched for classroom examples of attributions for the chapter on “Perceiving and Understanding” in my
Introduction to Communication course, but all I could find were activities which showed various
attributions, but did not address the process of interpretation. This activity invites students to make an
interpretation by asking them “What happened?” in an ambiguous scene presented to them. Then, students
retrospectively identify what attributions they made internally that led to their respective interpretations.

Author

• John McArthur, Queens University, Charlotte