Attribution theory Flashcards
Why does attribution theory exist?
to help performers explain their behaviour and offer reasons as to why they won/lost
locus of causality describes…
where the performer places the reason for their win or loss
What is the locus of causality split into?
- internal factors which are in the performer’s control
- external factors which are outside of the performer’s control
examples of internal factors
- natural ability
- amount of effort from training paying off
Examples of external factors
- luck
- difficulty of opponent
- decisions made by officials
- the conditions of the environment (poor pitch so the ball bounced awkwardly)
The stability dimension describes…
how fixed the attributes are
what is the stability dimension split into?
- stable factors - the reason is relatively permanent
- unstable factors - the reason is very changeable e.g the effort to chase down a ball may be different to when you are winning vs when you are losing.
How should performers and coaches attribute their success?
Internally
- ability
- effort
How should performers and coaches attribute failure?
externally
- luck
- environmental factors
- officials
what is a self serving bias?
- This is when we see the cause of failure due to external factors
- used to self-efficacy and esteem
What is learned helplessness?
- when a performer believes that no matter what they do or how hard they try, they will always fail.
- can be general (all sports) or specific (individual situation)
How does learned helplessness develop?
When a performer attributes their success internally to stable reasons.
how can learned helplessness be caused?
performers have low self-confidence due to past failings
what is attribution retraining?
When a performer changes their negative attributions into positive ones.
why should attribution retraining be used?
prevents learned helplessness
