1. Attribution Theory

3. By the end of the lesson you will be able to answer the following questions:

4. Task ! Think of a game you played in recently. Did you win or lose?
Why do you think you won or lost?
Why did your coach think you won or lost?

5. Definition of Attribution
Attributions are seen as being what an individual or team interprets or perceives as being the cause of theirs or others particular behaviour/ outcome of events.

6. Definition of Attribution
The reasons/causes given for their success or failure can affect..
Immediate emotional reactions
Actual behaviour
It can have serious effects on a performers aspirations, expectations, motivation and future participation.

7. Weiner’s Model of Attribution
Although there are thousands of reasons we can give as to why we won or lost. Weiner suggests that these can be grouped into certain categories across two dimensions.

8. Weiner’s Model of Attribution
The four categories of causal attributions given for peoples success or failure were;
Ability
Luck
Effort
Task Difficulty

9. Weiner’s Model of Attribution
These can be classified by stability and locus of causality.
Locus of causality
Internal Attributions
External Attributions
Stable Attributes
Ability
Task Difficulty
Unstable Attributes
Effort
Luck

10. Weiner’s Model of Attribution
Stability
Stable:- Permanent in relation to time e.g.. Ability and task
Unstable:- Changeable in relation to time e.g.. Effort and luck
Locus of causality
Internal:- Within performers e.g.. Ability and effort
External:- Environmental factors e.g. task difficulty and luck

11. Weiner’s Model of Attribution
Locus of causality dimension
Internal External
We were too good for the opposition on the day!
Our skills were better
They were not a very good team from a lower league
We had prepared well for the game and all of the team worked extremely hard
We were lucky on the day.
The umpire gave us a questionable penalty flick!
Stable
Stability
Unstable

12. Activity
Using your cards hold up the correct attribution for the reasons for winning or losing.....

13. Reasons for winning or losing
I played a better player
The umpire wasn't that great
The crowd put me off
Psychological- I have never beaten the opponent
Due to my level of fitness
The playing surface- prefers clay
Pressure from family to win
The importance of the match

14. I’m not very good at badminton
Our swimming team is the best in the region
Our team is not really good enough to win the cup
The referee was biased
I couldn't be bothered to try
Everybody tried their best
The rain caused the match to be abandoned and saved us

15. Application of Attribution Theory
This theory is important in sport as it affects future effort.
If we think reasons for success are stable and we are accountable for them we will have confidence in the future.
If we believe that reasons for failure are changeable, we can change the future result and influence the performance- ‘If I try harder…I may win next time’

16. Task!
With a partner toss a coin 10 times. Each time predict if it is going to land on heads or tails
Record your score
Who is the winner?

17. Self Serving Bias
This is a tendency for performers to attribute success to themselves (internal reasons) and failure to external and changeable reasons.
EG. It was the referees fault we lost
Traditionally thought that winners attribute success to internal factors and losers, failure to external factors.
This protects self esteem/ pride.

18. Effective use of Attributions
We want our performer to
Attribute winning to internal factors
Attribute losing to external factors
Use of attributions in this way is called Self Serving Bias
Why? Maintains motivation, task persistence, Develops self esteem, avoids learned helplessness

19. Attribution Retraining
Coach changes the performers perception of failure, allow them to deal with it effectively and improve future performances

20. Failure or poor performance
Change from:
Change to:
Attributions: Lack of Ability
Attributions: incorrect strategy
Emotion: negative e.g. frustration
Emotion: negative or neutral e.g. disappointment
Behaviour helplessness, avoidance
Behaviour: persistence

21. Learned Helplessness
Performer attributes failure to internal, stable factors such as ability.
Consequently they feel that when faced with particular situations they are unlikely to be successful and failure is the only viable outcome

22. Learned Helplessness
“An acquired state or condition related to the performers perception that he or she does not have any control over the situational demands being placed on him or her and that failure is therefore inevitable”

23. Why?
Inappropriate feedback
Criticism
Lack of success

24. General/Global learned helplessness:
Failure is inevitable in all sports.
I.e. all water based sports
Specific learned helplessness:
Specific to a sport i.e. canoeing

25. How to avoid learned helplessness
Experience early success
Realistic but challenging goals
One to one attention
Avoid social comparisons
Mental rehearsal
Performance goals rather than outcome goals
Attribution retraining
Use correct attributions ?

26. Quick questions…. Explain the term self serving bias
What is attribution re training?
Explain the term learned helplessness
Difference between global and specific learned helplessness?
Two strategies to reduce learned helplessness

27. Exam questions 2006

28. Exam answers