Attribution Theory Flashcards
What is a causal attribution?
A reason/cause that a performer might give for success or failure?
How does an attribution make a difference in performance and participation?
Depending on the perceived attribution (reason) for the success or failure, the performer may be encouraged towards more participation and confidence may be developed. However, if the attribution appears to be out of the control of the performer they may give up or confidence may suffer.
What are the dimensions of Weiner’s theory?
Locus of Causality (the location of the attribution - either internal or external)
Stability (how likely it is that the attribution/reason for success and failure might change)
What does Weiner mean by controllability?
Whether of not the performer is in control of the situation. If the attribution is external this would be unlikely as the performer feels that the reason is not within themselves.
Give an example of an Internal and Stable attribution following a failure. What might be the impact on future participation and performance?
Ability - (I lost the Tennis match because I am not very good at Tennis).
This type of attribution could mean that the performer confidence is dented and as they feel it is a ‘stable’ attribution and unlikely to change, they could give up and stop playing tennis.
Give an example of an External and Stable attribution following a failure. What might be the impact on future participation and performance?
Task Difficulty - (We lost against that football team as they are much better than us)
Because the failure is not to ‘do with’ the performer themselves they may continue to compete as they know that next week it may be different opposition. However, they may not want to play in the same fixture next time.
Give an example of an Internal and Unstable attribution following a failure. What might be the impact on future participation and performance?
Effort - (I was bowled out in cricket because I lost concentration and wasn’t trying hard enough).
Because the reason for this failure is seen as unstable, it is feasible that the performer can work harder next time and rectify the problem, therefore they have some control and would continue to perform knowing that they can do better.
Give an example of an External and Unstable attribution following a failure. What might be the impact on future participation and performance?
Luck - we were unlucky to lose in Rugby today. The referee made a bad decision which cost us the victory.
Most performers would continue to play hard as they know they were not in control of the reason and it is likely to change next time.
When success occurs which attributions are most useful? How might the coach use ‘attribution retraining’?
It depends. If the team played well and won, the coach might want to ‘move’ the attribution towards internal and unstable causes as the players would feel good that they worked hard and deserved the victory. An internal and stable attribution such as ability could also be beneficial from a confidence point of view but could also cause complacency.
If the team or individual experience failure how might the coach retrain the attributions?
Again it depends. If they did not deserve victory because they didn’t play well an internal and unstable attribution would be useful as the players can change the outcomes if they work hard, get fit etc.
However, if they played really well the coach might encourage an external attribution for the failure
eg. “They were a really good team” or “Unlucky lads, you just didn’t get the breaks” - these attributions might maintain esteem and effort.
What is mastery-orientation?
Where a performer consistently attributes success to internal factors. They believe that ‘they’ are in control and have the ability to succeed.
What is learned helplessness?
Where the performer consistently attributes failure to internal and stable causes and, over time, they learn that their ability is the main reason for their failure. Learned helplessness and be specific (I am no good at basketball) or more global (I am no good at sport).
Learned helplessness leads to avoidance behaviour and a lack of effort in the sport.
