Attribution Theory

Cognitive theory of motivation

Based on general "godlike" metaphor of individual

Suggests that individuals are conscious, rational, all-knowing decision makers

Assumption #1

Individuals are motivated by a goal of understanding and mastering the environment & themselves.

Does not propose any other goals, needs. motives, or drives

Assumption #2

People are naïve scientists, trying to understand their environment and, in particular, trying to understand the causal determinants of their own behavior as well as the behavior of others.

As a function of their search for mastery, individuals seek to understand why things happen and why people say and do the things that they do.

Antecedent Conditions

Environmental factors

Personal factors

Perceived Causes

Ability

Effort

Luck

Task Difficulty

Teacher

Mood

Health

Fatigue

Causal Dimensions

Stability

Locus

Controllability

Stability

How stable the attribution is over time.

Ranges from stable to unstable.

Refers to whether the cause is fixed and stable or whether it is variable and unstable across situations and over time.

Locus

Whether a cause is perceived as being internal or external to the individual.

Relates to the relative influence of personal and environmental factors on an individual’s behavior.

Controllability

Refers to how much control a person has over a cause.

Weiner argues that there may also be causes that are external to the individual that are not controllable by that individual but are controllable by others.

Psychological Consequences

Expectancy for success

Self-efficacy

Affect

Expectancy-for-Success Beliefs

Attribution for success made that is internal and stable, then student will expect to succeed in future.

If attribution for success is made that is unstable, then individual will not expect to do as well in the future

Expectancy-for-Failure Beliefs

More adaptive to make unstable and controllable attributions for failure situations.

Stable, internal, and uncontrollable attributions for failure have the most detrimental consequences for future expectancies for success.

Behavioral Consequences

Choice

Persistence

Level of effort

Achievement