attribution theory: making sense of successes and failures damon burton university of idaho
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ATTRIBUTION THEORY: ATTRIBUTION THEORY: MAKING SENSE OF MAKING SENSE OF SUCCESSES AND SUCCESSES AND
FAILURESFAILURES
Damon BurtonDamon Burton
University of IdahoUniversity of Idaho
WHAT IS AN WHAT IS AN ATTRIBUTION?ATTRIBUTION?
Attributions Attributions – – are reasons given to are reasons given to explain successes and failures.explain successes and failures.
Weiner (1985)Weiner (1985) suggests that we suggests that we each act as naïve psychologists each act as naïve psychologists trying to understand the reasons for trying to understand the reasons for why a particular outcome occurs. why a particular outcome occurs.
For exampleFor example, a girl may try to figure , a girl may try to figure out why she lost a tennis match or out why she lost a tennis match or did poorly on an exam. did poorly on an exam.
UNDERLYING UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONSASSUMPTIONS
Understanding human behavior Understanding human behavior requires first understanding how we requires first understanding how we perceive the social environment. perceive the social environment.
People seek a stable and People seek a stable and predictable environment in order to predictable environment in order to control their surroundings and control their surroundings and predict others’ behavior.predict others’ behavior.
To understand behavior, people To understand behavior, people look for dispositional qualities in look for dispositional qualities in others.others.
ATTRIBUTIONAL ATTRIBUTIONAL PROPOSITIONSPROPOSITIONS
Outcomes generate positive or Outcomes generate positive or negative emotions and a search for the negative emotions and a search for the reasons for the outcome.reasons for the outcome.
Attributions are organized into key Attributions are organized into key dimensions that influence dimensions that influence psychological consequences such as psychological consequences such as expectancy change or emotional expectancy change or emotional feelings.feelings.
Attributional consequences impact Attributional consequences impact behaviors such as achievement behaviors such as achievement motivation.motivation.
WEINER’S (1972) WEINER’S (1972) ORIGINAL MODELORIGINAL MODEL
Ability
Task Difficulty
Coaching
Luck
Officiating
EffortStrategy
Preparation
Performance
Internal External
Stable
Unstable
WEINER’S (1986) REVISED WEINER’S (1986) REVISED MODELMODEL
CAUSAL ANTECEDENTS CAUSAL ANTECEDENTS OF ATTRIBUTIONSOF ATTRIBUTIONS
states versus traitsstates versus traits
causal rulescausal rules
“ “actor versus actor versus observer observer bias”bias”
“ “hedonic bias”hedonic bias”
ASSESSING ASSESSING ATTRIBUTIONSATTRIBUTIONS
• A person’s perceptions of success and A person’s perceptions of success and failure are not the same as winning failure are not the same as winning and losing. and losing. Success is a subjective Success is a subjective concept. concept. • Most attributions have been Most attributions have been
categorized by researchers rather categorized by researchers rather than participants. than participants. •Weiner uses dimensions of Weiner uses dimensions of locus of locus of
causality, stabilitycausality, stability and and controllabilitycontrollability• GlobalityGlobality and and intentionality intentionality
dimensions have also been proposeddimensions have also been proposed
ATTRIBUTION ATTRIBUTION INSTRUMENTSINSTRUMENTS
• Causal Dimension Scale – 2 (CDS-2) Causal Dimension Scale – 2 (CDS-2) –– measures attributions in specific measures attributions in specific situationssituations (state measure).(state measure).
• Attributional styleAttributional style is is predisposition to make particular predisposition to make particular attributions across different attributions across different situationssituations (trait measure)(trait measure)• Sport Attributional Style Scale (SASS)Sport Attributional Style Scale (SASS)
•Wingate Sport Achievement Wingate Sport Achievement Responsibility Scale (WSARS) Responsibility Scale (WSARS)
SELF-SERVING BIASSELF-SERVING BIAS
““Self-serving bias” (SSB)Self-serving bias” (SSB) states that states that attributions are used to enhance and attributions are used to enhance and protect self-esteem.protect self-esteem.
According to the SSB, According to the SSB, people tend to people tend to take credit for success but not the take credit for success but not the blame for failure.blame for failure.
People perceive themselves as more People perceive themselves as more responsible for successful or positive responsible for successful or positive than negative outcomes.than negative outcomes.
Reasons for failure are externalized Reasons for failure are externalized (i.e., blamed on outside factors) (i.e., blamed on outside factors)
ACTOR-OBSERVER BIASACTOR-OBSERVER BIAS
““Actor-observer bias”Actor-observer bias” –actors and –actors and observers view the same situation observers view the same situation differently, thus making different differently, thus making different attributionsattributions
ActorsActors use use situation-basedsituation-based attributions to explain their behavior.attributions to explain their behavior.
ObserversObservers base attributions on base attributions on traits traits of the actor.of the actor.
Actors know their behavioral history, Actors know their behavioral history, whereas observers have only the one whereas observers have only the one situation to base their evaluation on.situation to base their evaluation on.
SPONTANEOUS SPONTANEOUS ATTRIBUTIONSATTRIBUTIONS
Do athletes normally engage in Do athletes normally engage in causal thought (i.e., attributions) causal thought (i.e., attributions) following competition?following competition?
Attributions are made naturally, Attributions are made naturally, but they are more likely when (a) but they are more likely when (a) a goal is not attained or (b) the a goal is not attained or (b) the outcome was unexpected. outcome was unexpected.
For example, the Patriots probably For example, the Patriots probably have been making attributions for have been making attributions for their unexpected Superbowl loss.their unexpected Superbowl loss.
ATTRIBUTIONAL ATTRIBUTIONAL CONSEQUENCESCONSEQUENCES
future expectanciesfuture expectancies emotional reactionsemotional reactions learned helplessnesslearned helplessness
FUTURE EXPECTANCIES FUTURE EXPECTANCIES
Attributional stability is the most important factor determining future expectancies.Outcomes ascribed to stable causes increase future expectancy.Outcomes ascribed to unstable causes reduce future expectancyOutcomes ascribed to stable causes will be repeated more frequently than those ascribed to unstable causes
EMOTIONAL REACTIONSEMOTIONAL REACTIONS
““Outcome-dependent” emotionsOutcome-dependent” emotions are emotional responses to the are emotional responses to the outcome itself, whereas outcome itself, whereas “attribution-dependent” emotions“attribution-dependent” emotions relate to the causes or reasons relate to the causes or reasons identified for the outcome. identified for the outcome. ““Self-esteem emotions”Self-esteem emotions” such as such as pridepride are associated with are associated with internal internal causality.causality.““Expectancy emotions”Expectancy emotions” such as such as hopehope are related to are related to stability.stability.““Social emotions”Social emotions” such as such as pity or pity or guiltguilt are related to are related to controllability.controllability.
TheThe
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