Type of Document	Thesis
Author	St. John, Heather Michelle
Author's Email Address	hms0504@fsu.edu
URN	etd-07012004-123103
Title	Victim of Circumstance? Stealing Thunder and Attribution Theory
Degree	Master of Science
Department	Communication, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Laura Arpan Committee Chair Arthur Raney Committee Member Davis Houck Committee Member
Keywords	persuasion interpersonal communication cheating infidelity stealing thunder attribution theory
Date of Defense	2004-06-14
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract In situations in which an indiscretion can be revealed to another party, a person has the ability to either divulge the information first or wait until he or she is confronted. Divulging the negative information first – i.e., stealing thunder - has been supported as a way to minimize the impact of the negative information. The following study coupled stealing thunder with attribution theory in an attempt to determine how stealing thunder affects perceptions of causality. Stealing thunder was associated with increased credibility ratings but did not result in greater external attribution or lower probability of guilt ratings. Credibility was positively correlated with external attribution, regardless of thunder condition.
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