Sport Psychology: Attribution Theory

Question 1

What is the attribution theory?

Answer 1

A perception of the reason for an outcome of an event/performace

Question 2

Who was the attribution theory classified by?

Answer 2

Weiner

Question 3

What are the 2 sections Weiner classified the attribution theory into?

Answer 3

He classified them into the Locus of Casualty and the Stability Dimension

Question 4

What are the 2 sub sections of the Locus of Casualty?

Answer 4

Internal attribute
External attribute

Question 5

What are the 2 sub sections of the Stability Dimension?

Answer 5

Unstable attribute
Stable attribute

Question 6

What is the Locus of Casualty?

Answer 6

It looks at whether it is in the control of the performer or out of it

Question 7

What does internal attribute mean?

Answer 7

Within the performers control - Effort

Question 8

What does external attribute mean?

Answer 8

Outside of the performers control - Referee

Question 9

What is the Stability Dimension?

Answer 9

It looks at whether it is a permanent or changeable reason

Question 10

What does an unstable attribute mean?

Answer 10

It can change in a short amount of time - Luck

Question 11

What does a stable attribute mean?

Answer 11

It is unlikely to change in a short amount of time - quality of a team

Question 12

What factors affect attribution?

Answer 12

. Ref’s decision
. Your ability
. Luck
. Coaching received
. Playing a good team
. The effort applied
. The amount of practice that occurred

Question 13

What is self serving bias?

Answer 13

Using external and/or unstable reasons for losing

Question 14

What does the self serving bias allow you to do?

Answer 14

Essentially you are responsible for winning and when you lose it is due to an external reason

Question 15

What should a coach do for his team when losing?

Answer 15

. Blame the ref or an external reason like the weather as it unstable and external
. Praise effort and reward ability

Question 16

How can we maintain motivation?

Answer 16

We shouldn’t attribute the loss due to internal and stable reasons. Attribute them to wins as this will promote self-esteem as players feel responsible for the positive result

Question 17

What is learned helplessness?

Answer 17

Using internal stable reasons for losing

Question 18

What are some impacts of learned helplessness?

Answer 18

. The performer perceives failure as inevitable
. When doubt in ability affects the player and the confidence is lowered
. Lack of effort and motivation

Question 19

What are the differences between self serving bias and learned helplessness?

Answer 19

. Self serving bias are internal and stable reasons for winning whereas learned helplessness are internal and stable reasons for losing
. Self serving bias uses unstable and external reasons for losing whereas learned helplessness can be global or specific

Question 20

What type of attribution is focussed on more?

Answer 20

Positive attribution is focussed on more than negative attribution

Question 21

What does attribution retraining involve?

Answer 21

It involves the coach or teacher developing and changing an individuals perception of failure, allowing them to deal with it effectively and improve future performances