Attribution Theory

Question 1

Attribution

Answer 1

• the perceived reasons we give for our performance both success and failure are known as attributions
• the correct use of attributions is a crucial factor on maintaining a performers:

1) level of performance
2) satisfaction of performance
3) task persistence
4) future expectations

Question 2

Attribution Process

Answer 2

Outcome of Performance
(Success or failure)
|
|

Causal attributions ascribed
| | |
Locus of c Stability Locus of con
(In/ Ex) (Sta/Un) (In or out)
| | |
| | |
Feeling of Future Increase or
Pride or Success/ Decrease in
Shame- Failure Motivation
Increase/
Decrease

Question 3

Weiners Attribution Theory

Answer 3

• this proposed causal attributions tend to fall into 4 areas
  1) ability
  2) luck
  3) effort
  4) task difficulty
• he suggested this locus of causality could be sub divided into 2 broad categories:
  1) Internal Causes- factors within our control such as ability and effort
  2) external causes- factors outside our control such as task difficulty and luck
• he also said the stability dimension is subdivided into:
  1) stable factors- such as level of individual ability skill, coaching experience and the nature of the opposition
  2) unstable factors- the individual level of motivation and effort, arousal levels, refereeing decisions, quality of teamwork, imposed tactics, injury, form and pure luck
• the third dimension is the locus of control
  1) personal control- areas of performance over which an individual can take control- effort, concentration or commitment to training
  2) external control- areas of performance over which an individual has little control- the referee and opposing tactics

Question 4

What is locus of causality?

Answer 4

• the cause of the final outcome is pinpointed as being due to internal or external factors- those within or beyond performers control

Question 5

What is locus of stability ?

Answer 5

• identifies attributing factors which may have influenced the final result and which may or may not change in the nature over a short period of time

Question 6

What is locus of control?

Answer 6

• identifies attributing factors based on the level of control the performer is able to exert in the final outcome

Question 7

Effective use of attributions and Self serving bias

Answer 7

• to use attributions effectively the coach must know how the performers is likely to react- this can depend on personality and xp
• generally success is attributed to internal factors- this allows to increase self satisfaction and motivation
• failure should never be attributed to internal factors- in these situations a coach must use external or unstable factors- this makes the athlete believe that improvement is possible
• the use of attributions in this way is self serving bias- level of motivation can be maintained

Question 8

What is self serving bias?

Answer 8

• the tendency of the performer attribute his or hers success to internal factors such as effort and ability while failure is attributed to external factors like luck and task difficulty

Question 9

Attribution training

Answer 9

• involves the coach developing and changing an individual’s perception of failure allowing him to deal with it effectively and improve future performances

Question 10

Learned Helplessness

Answer 10

• feelings experienced by an individual when he believes that failure is inevitable because of negative past experiences

Question 11

How would a captain use knowledge of self-serving bias to motivate their team? (4 marks)

Answer 11

A. (self-serving bias) correct use of attributions to protect self-esteem/
self-efficacy/self-confidence/avoid learned helplessness

B. Attributing success to internal – stable factors/ability

C. Attributing success to internal – unstable factors/effort

D. Attribute failure to controllable factors

E. Attributing failure to internal – unstable factors/effort

F. Attributing failure to external – stable factors/task difficulty

G. Attributing failure to external – unstable factors/luck

Question 12

How would a coach use attribution theory to maintain motivation following a defeat? (4)

Answer 12

1) Attributions – perceived reasons for outcomes / performance
2) Failure to internal-unstable factors – effort
3) Failure to external – unstable factors – luck
4) Failure to external – stable factors – task difficulty
5) Failure to external control – e.g those areas which players cannot control
6) Self serving bias
7) Attribution re-training

Question 13

What are the four main groups of ‘attributions’? (2 marks)

Answer 13

1. Luck
2. Effort
3. Task difficulty
4. Ability

Question 14

What do you understand by the term ‘learned helplessness’ and what
strategies may a coach use to prevent this happening? (5 marks)

Answer 14

Learned helplessness – idea that failure is inevitable/examples

2. Can be applied globally or to specific situations
3. Normally caused by player attributing wrong factor to failure e.g. an internal and
   stable reason rather than external and unstable
4. Possibly leading to the idea of giving up even when success is possible/examples

Strategies to overcome
5. Coach to enable player to achieve success/play weaker opposition/examples

6. Encourage view that success due to stable /internal factors – ability/examples
7. That failure due to unstable/external factors – effort or luck/examples
8. Attribution retraining

Question 15

In terms of attribution theory, explain what is meant by self-serving bias and
learned helplessness. (4 marks)

Answer 15

1. Self-serving bias – blaming success on internal factors/failure on external factors
2. Maintains self-esteem/feel better about themselves
3. Learned helplessness – failure is inevitable
4. Eventually give up/stop trying
5. Attributed failure to internal factors/success to external factors
6. Can be specific or global

Question 16

Performers may attribute their success and/or failure to various factors. What do you understand by the term attribution retraining, and when would it become necessary?
(3 marks)

Answer 16

1. Attribution training – changing the reasons given for failure;
2. Incorrect attributions affect performer’s persistence/performance/
   expectations/satisfaction/cause learned helplessness;
3. Work with individual to change/improve techniques;
4. Encourage performer to attribute success to internal factors/ability/effort;
5. Help performer change attributions for failure as being due to external
   unstable factors/luck/task difficulty;
6. Attribute failure to controllable factors.

Question 17

Sufferers of learned helplessness may require attribution retraining.
Explain what attribution retraining is and suggest why it is effective. (3 marks)

Answer 17

1. Idea of realising that failure is not inevitable/teaching appropriate attributions;
2. Allow performer to achieve success;
3. Attribute success to stable/ internal/ability/controllable factors;
4. Attribute failure to unstable/external factors/luck/task difficulty/effort/
5. Improve self-esteem/confidence/feel/good/motivation; 3 marks

Question 18

What are the two dimensions of attributions? (2 marks)

Answer 18

1. Internal/external/causality;

2. Stable/unstable/stability.

Question 19

Using Figure 5, describe the different types of attribution that may be used by athletes. (4 marks)

Answer 19

1. (Ability/ internal and unstable) . how good a performer you are and attributions such as .I.m not very good at tennis., or .our team had too strong a middle for them.;
2. (Effort/internal/unstable) . how much commitment put into performance and
   statements such as .we were psyched-up to go all-out for that game., or .I
   tried as hard as I possibly could.;
3. (Task difficulty/external and stable) . attributions concerning the opponents,
   such as .they were the league leaders. and attributions to the task itself, e.g.,
   .the moves we tried were just too complicated..
4. (Luck/external and unstable) . chance, random events and environmental
   factors, e.g. .we got all the breaks., or .they had the ref on their side..

Question 20

In terms of attribution theory, explain what is meant by self-serving bias. (2 marks)

Answer 20

1. Self-serving bias . attributing successful outcomes to themselves/internally/
   suitable e.g.;
2. And attribution unsuccessful outcomes to others/externally/suitable e.g;
3. Tendency/bias to want to protect own self-esteem;
4. Feel better if winning is down to your own efforts/losing outside your control;
5. Coach and performer might attribute performance differently.

Question 21

Sufferers of learned helplessness may require attribution retraining.
Explain what attribution retraining is and suggest why it is effective. (3 marks)

Answer 21

Idea of realising that failure is not inevitable/teaching appropriate attributions;

2. Allow performer to achieve success;
3. Attribute success to stable/ internal/ability/controllable factors;
4. Attribute failure to unstable/external factors/luck/task difficulty/effort/
5. Improve self-esteem/confidence/feel/good/motivation;