attribution theory

• attribution theory


  the reasons performers give for their success or failure, winning or losing.

  
• Weiner's (1974) model of attribution

  attribution theory of motivation describes the way in which we strive to maintain our positive self-image.

  Wiener suggested that 4 key attributions lie on two dimensions - the locus of causality and the locus of stability.

  
• Locus of causality


  The location—internal or external—of the cause of behavior.

  
• Locus of stability


  The stable/unstable factors that a performer believes caused an event or outcome.

  How fixed the attributions are

  
• self-serving bias


  the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors.

  Both performers and coach should attribute the reasons for winning internally to ability and effort and failure should be attributed externally to luck and task difficulty.

  
• learned helplessness


  A condition that occurs after a period of negative consequences where the person begins to believe they have no control.

  the performer attributes failure to internally to stable reasons e.g. ability

  
• actor-observer effect


  the tendency to make situational attributions for our own behaviors while making dispositional attributions for the identical behavior of others

  
• attribution retraining


  encourages learned-helpless individuals believe they can overcome failure by exerting more effort

  to reduce the effects of learned helplessness the performer should change their negative attributions into positive ones.

  
• ability


  an internal-stable factor because ability is within the performer and it is not likely to change in the short term

  
• effort


  an internal-unstable factor because only the individual can determine the amount of application they exert and this can vary in each performance

  
• luck


  an external unstable factor it is environmental but changeable. The individual cannot control it and one week you will be lucky, next week you may not be.

  
• Attribution theory


  A perception of the reason for an outcome of an event
• Attribution


  • A perceived outcome of events
  • Reasons given by sporting leaders and players for winning and losing, or playing well/badly
  • Vital to maintain motivation and effort, one of the most important factors in task persistence
• Evaluation of performance by coach and player


  Can give more confidence, bring satisfaction and make the expectations of the player higher
• Reasons for winning and losing


  Classified by Weiner 1974 into 2 subsections, placed on a matrix
• Attribution theory


  Tells us how individuals explain their behaviour, in a sporting context performers use attributions to offer reasons for winning/playing well or losing/playing badly
• Weiner's 4 key attributions


  • Locus of causality (internal vs external)
  • Locus of stability (stable vs unstable)
• Locus of causality


  Where the performer places the reason for the win/loss: internal (within their control) or external (out of their control)
• Stability dimension


  How fixed the attributions are: stable (relatively permanent) or unstable (changeable)
• Attributions


  Can be used to ensure individuals/teams keep trying to improve and do not give up, by attributing success to effort and ability, and failure to external factors
• self serving bias

  
  

  
  

  performers and coaches should attribute the reasons for winning internally to ability and effort and the reasons for failure to external reasons such as task difficulty and luck. this raises self-efficacy and esteem, increasing likelihood of continuing to participate.
• Learned helplessness


  Develops when performers attribute failure internally to stable reasons, believing they are destined to fail and therefore not persistent
• Strategies to avoid learned helplessness


  1. Attribution retraining - altering negative attributions to positive ones, attributing success internally and failure externally

  2. Coach setting realistic/achievable goals

  3. Raising self-efficacy

  4. Highlighting previous successes

  5. Providing positive reinforcement and encouragement