Attribution theory

Question 1

Attribution theory (Weiner, 1985)

Answer 1

• attribution is how individuals explain the reasons for their successes or failures in sport
• these explanations impact:
  . Motivation
  . Future performance
  . Self confidence

Question 2

What does the attribution theory look at?

Answer 2

• the reasons given by coaches and players themselves to account for successes and failures in sport

Question 3

What are strong links between?

Answer 3

Attribution and achievement motivation

Question 4

What are the four key attributions weiner identified athletes give for success or failure?

Answer 4

1. Ability
2. Effort
3. Task difficulty
4. Luck

Question 5

Ability- explanation

Answer 5

The natural or learned skill level of the athlete

Question 6

Ability- sporting example

Answer 6

I won because I’m good at sprinting

Question 7

Effort- explanation

Answer 7

The amount of work or determination put in

Question 8

Effort- sporting example

Answer 8

I lost because I didn’t try hard enough

Question 9

Task difficulty- explanation

Answer 9

How easy or hard the opponent/ situation was

Question 10

Task difficulty- sporting example

Answer 10

I won because the opposition was weak

Question 11

Luck- explanation

Answer 11

Uncontrollable external factors

Question 12

Luck- sporting example

Answer 12

I lost because the ball bounced the wrong way

Question 13

What are the three dimensions of attribution

Answer 13

Each attribution fits into three dimensions, which affect motivation and future behaviour
1. Locus of causality
2. Locus of stability
3. Locus of controllability

Question 14

Locus of causality (explanation)

Answer 14

Was the cause internal (within our control) or external (out of our control) to the athlete

Question 15

Locus of causality (example)

Answer 15

Internal (ability, effort) external (luck,task difficulty)

Question 16

Locus of stability (explanation)

Answer 16

Is the cause stable (unlikely to change) or unstable?
- the reason is permanent (stable) or forever changing (unstable)

Question 17

Locus of stability (example)

Answer 17

Stable (ability,task difficulty) unstable (luck,effort)

Question 18

Locus of controllability (explanation)

Answer 18

Can the athlete control the cause or not
- refers to internal control (things within an athletes control e.g. commitment to training) and external control (things out of the athletes control e.g. coaches tactics or weather conditions)

Question 19

Locus of controllability (Examples)

Answer 19

• controllable (effort) uncontrollable (luck,weather)

Question 20

Why attribution matters in sport

Answer 20

• success attributed to internal, stable, and controllable factors (e.g. effort and ability) builds confidence and motivation
• failure attributed to external or unstable factors (e.g. luck) can reduce responsibility and prevent learning
• athletes who constantly blame external or uncontrollable factors may suffer from learned helplessness

Question 21

Attribution retraining

Answer 21

Goal:help athletes view failure in a more positive, controllable, and motivating way

Question 22

Strategies for attribution retraining

Answer 22

• encourage effort based attributions
• reframe failure as learning
• avoid blame on luck
• use feedback to support control
• goal setting and reflection

Question 23

Encourage effort-based attributions (explanation)

Answer 23

Focus on what the athlete can control, like effort and preparation

Question 24

Reframe failure as learning (explanation)

Answer 24

Helps athletes see failure as a temporary setback that can be improved

Question 25

Avoid blame on luck (explanation)

Answer 25

Redirect athletes from blaming external factors and promote ownership

Question 26

Use feedback to support control (explanation)

Answer 26

Coaches should give constructive feedback to highlight what can improve

Question 27

Goal setting and reflection (explanation)

Answer 27

Create SMART goals and review performances to encourage responsibility

Question 28

Example of attribution retraining in practice:

Answer 28

A swimmer fails to qualify for a final and says: I’m just not good enough A coach reframes this with: You didn’t place your race well- lets work on race strategy so you can improve

Question 29

Summarise wieners attribution theory (6)

Answer 29

Weiner (1972) created a model that categorises attributions There are two main categories that weiner identified: locus of causality and locus of stability Locus of causality refers to the factors that were within the individual or not - internal factors could be their ability, effort, skill level or health - external factors are outside of the individuals; for example, the weather conditions or the opposing of teams tactics Locus of stability refers to how enduring or permanent a factor is - stable factors are durable and don’t change that much over time. For example skill level is fairly stable - unstable factors are less consistent and include things like effort and luck

Question 30

Importance of attribution theory

Answer 30

- attribution theory is important in sport because it affects future effort - if we think that reasons for success are stable we are accountable for them, we will have confidence and continue to try to improve - if we believe that reasons for failure are changeable we can change the future result and influence the performance. We might say for example if i try harder i can win next time - if success is attributed to unstable factors like like then this could have an adverse effect and demotivate them

Question 31

Attribution: low achievers and external factors

Answer 31

- low achievers or people who adopt avoidance behaviour to attribute a lack of success to internal factors (e.g. lack of ability) - low achievers also tend to attribute success to external factors (e.g. luck) - this type of attribution would take away confidence and reduce expectation and future achievement