Sport Psychology: Attribution Theory Flashcards
What is the attribution theory?
A perception of the reason for an outcome of an event/performace
Who was the attribution theory classified by?
Weiner
What are the 2 sections Weiner classified the attribution theory into?
He classified them into the Locus of Casualty and the Stability Dimension
What are the 2 sub sections of the Locus of Casualty?
Internal attribute
External attribute
What are the 2 sub sections of the Stability Dimension?
Unstable attribute
Stable attribute
What is the Locus of Casualty?
It looks at whether it is in the control of the performer or out of it
What does internal attribute mean?
Within the performers control - Effort
What does external attribute mean?
Outside of the performers control - Referee
What is the Stability Dimension?
It looks at whether it is a permanent or changeable reason
What does an unstable attribute mean?
It can change in a short amount of time - Luck
What does a stable attribute mean?
It is unlikely to change in a short amount of time - quality of a team
What factors affect attribution?
. Ref’s decision
. Your ability
. Luck
. Coaching received
. Playing a good team
. The effort applied
. The amount of practice that occurred
What is self serving bias?
Using external and/or unstable reasons for losing
What does the self serving bias allow you to do?
Essentially you are responsible for winning and when you lose it is due to an external reason
What should a coach do for his team when losing?
. Blame the ref or an external reason like the weather as it unstable and external
. Praise effort and reward ability
How can we maintain motivation?
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
What is learned helplessness?
Using internal stable reasons for losing
What are some impacts of learned helplessness?
. The performer perceives failure as inevitable
. When doubt in ability affects the player and the confidence is lowered
. Lack of effort and motivation
What are the differences between self serving bias and learned helplessness?
. 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
What type of attribution is focussed on more?
Positive attribution is focussed on more than negative attribution
What does attribution retraining involve?
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
