Chapter 4: Attributional Processes Notes from class textbook: Pintrich, P.R., & Schunk, D.H. (1996). Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, & Applications. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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