Attribution Theory

Why is attributing success to internal factors good?

Attributing in this way will raise the self efficacy of the performer and they will feel content and able to repeat their success in the same or similar tasks in the future. As their confidence is high this may motivate them to continue participating in a range of sporting activities and therefore lead an active lifestyle.

What is attribution?

Attribution theory tells us how individuals explain their behaviour. In a sporting context, performers use attributions to offer reasons when they win or lose.

Explain the stability dimension

Describes how fixed the attributions are. They can be Stable which suggests the reason is relatively permanent or unstable or very changeable. This change could be from week to week or even within minutes in a fixture.

Explain the locus of causality dimension

Describes where the performer places the reason for the win/loss. This can be Internal which is within the performers control or external which is out of the performers control and under the control of someone/something in the environment.

What is attribution retraining?

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

What is learned helplessness and when does it develop?

Learned Helplessness develops when performers attribute failure internally to stable reasons e.g. I lost the swimming race as I simply haven't got the ability.

What are mastery orientated performers like? What do they attribute success or failure to?

Mastery Orientated performers are those who generally attribute success to internal reasons such as 'we were the better quality team' or 'we put more effort into training leading up to the match.'

What is self serving bias?

Performers and coaches alike always attribute the reasons for winning internally to ability and effort (rather than externally to luck) and failure should be attributed externally rather than internally to ability.

Give an example of a stable attribution.

The ability (internal, stable) of the performer remains the same over a long period of time, as does the task difficulty, (external, stable) which is the ability of the opposition.

Give an example of an internal attribution.

The amount of natural ability they possess or the amount of effort they put in to training for example.

Give an example of an unstable attribution.

The effort (internal, unstable) shown to chase down a ball may be higher when winning at the beginning of the match than the effort shown towards the end of the same match when losing. Luck (external, unstable) is also very changeable. E.g. the tennis ball hitting the top of the net and bouncing either on your side or the opposition's side is down to luck.

Give an example of an external attribution

The task difficulty is the level of opposition they face. Or luck which relates to the decisions made by the officials or environmental factors such as an unlucky ball bounce

What do people who experience learned helplessness believe?

They believe that no matter what they do or how hard they try, they are destined to fail. This can be either global which relates to all sports. E.g. I cannot play any sport or specific which relates to one skill in sport e.g. I can't take penalty flicks in hockey as I will miss, or a single sport e.g. I cannot play badminton.

What might cause learned helplessness to develop?

This usually occurs when performers have low self confidence due to past failings and so they completely withdraw their effort and stop participating. It may be due to having unrealistic goals set by the coach.

What will self serving bias lead to?

This will raise self-efficacy and esteem and increase the likelihood of an individual continuing to participating, sustaining an active lifestyle.

How many attributions did Weiner suggest?

Weiner suggested that four key attributions lie on two dimensions.

How can you create mastery orientated individuals?

• Set realistic process and/or performance goals • Raise self efficacy by using previous accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion and emotional control (see Bandura's model) • Highlight previous quality performances • Give positive reinforcement and encouragement

What are the two dimensions?

• The Locus of Causality • The Stability Dimension