6. Attribution Theory Flashcards
Attributions
- how we explain successes and failures (precursors)
Why are Attributions Important (Rees)
- gather inference to take into future situations
- have a sense of control
Basic Attribution Dimensions
- Stability (stable/unstable)
- Locus of Causality (internal/external of a person)
- Locus of Control (controllable/uncontrollable)
…
Globality/Universality
Basic Attribution Dimensions:
Stability
Refers to whether an athlete sees the cause as stable (unchanging over tine) or unstable (likely to change)
…
ex) getting traded, impacts team chemistry
Basic Attribution Categories Examples:
Stability
- Stable attribution: A player believes they’re naturally skilled, so success feels consistent.
- Unstable attribution: A player attributes a loss to a temporary issue like being tired or having a cold.
Bias: Optimistic bias can occur when athletes believe that negative outcomes are unstable (e.g., “it was just an off day”) and can change. This mindset can encourage persistence, but excessive optimism might ignore deeper issues needing improvement.
Basic Attribution Dimensions:
Locus of Causality
Refers to whether athletes perceive the cause of an outcome as internal (within themselves) or external (outside factors).
…
ex)
Internal: Personal demeanor
External: environment, crowd, weather,
Basic Attribution Dimensions Examples:
Locus of Causality
- Internal attribution: a basketball player believes they missed a shot because they didnt practice enough (cause within themselves)
- External attribution: the player might instead blame the loud crowd or poor lighting (cause outside their control).
Bias: athletes often have a self-serving bias, where they attribute success to internal factors (like their own skill) and failure to external factors (like bad luck).
Basic Attribution Dimensions:
Locus of Control
Refers to whether an athlete perceives they have control over the outcome
Basic Attribution Dimensions Examples:
Locus of Control
Controllable attribution: a player attributes their performance to factors they can change, like their training routine or diet.
Uncontrollable attribution: They may blame uncontrollable factors like weather conditions or referee calls.
Bias: Control bias can lead athletes to overestimate their control in certain situations, which can be empowering. However, if they repeatedly attribute failures to uncontrollable factors, they may adopt a “learned helplessness” approach, feeling unable to change outcomes.
Basic Attribution Categories: Globality/Unversality
Globality - how unique it is
Universality - can be applicable to other people
Attribution Category Considerations: Effort
- increase in effort does NOT guarantee increased performance, but typically all high performance also gave high effort
Attribution Category Considerations: Ability
- capacity with which they’re able to complete a certain task
i.e.novice vs expert; how does that impact 3 attribution categories:
Attribution Category Considerations: Task Difficulty
- perception of how difficult the task ahead will be
i.e. easy team vs hard opponent; how does that impact 3 attribution categories:
Attribution Category Considerations: Luck
i.e. referee on their side, or winning but having no idea how you won
Stability Attributions & Future Behavior: Success
- Stable & Internal, or Internal & Controllable cause =
»> you expect that it will happen again - unstable, external, uncontrollable cause =
»> unsure if it will happen again
»> can undermine confidence and lead to avoidance
