Attribution Theory (Weiner's Model of attribution) Flashcards
Lesson 17 (16 cards)
What is attribution?
A perception of the reason for an outcome of an event
What is attribution theory?
Gives us an explanation of the cause for success or failure. In sport, reasons are always given for winning/losing or playing well/badly. Given by managers coaches and even the players. Reasons are vital to maintain motivation and effort, therefore attribution in sport is one of the most important factors in task persistence. Evaluation of performance can help increase confidence, as it brings satisfaction and raises expectations
What is the locus of causality?
Describes where a performer places the reason for the win/loss. This can be either Internal or External the amount of control the performer has over the outcome of events
What is internal part of classification of sporting attributes?
winning or losing was within the performers control. E.g it was due to the amount of natural ability they possess or the amount of effort they put into training
What is the external part of classification of sporting attributes?
External: winning or losing was out the performers control and under the control of the environment E.g the task difficulty in terms of level of opposition or luck
What is the Stability dimension?
Describes how fixed the attributions are. This can be either unstable or stable. How changeable the reasons for winning and losing are
What is the stable part of the classification of sporting attributes?
Stable the reason is permanent. E.G ability of the performer remains the same over a long period of time as does task difficulty which is the ability of the opposition
What is the Unstable part of the classification of sporting attributes?
Unstable (Very changeable) this change could be from week to week or even within minutes in the fixture. E.g effort shown to chase a ball may be higher when winning at the beginning of the march than the effort shown towards the end of the same match when losing. E.g Luck is also ever changeable- tennis ball hitting the top of the net
what is the self serving Bias? Apply it
Attributing success (winning) to internal attributes and failures to external (losing) attributes. Players/coaches use attribution theory to make sure players keep trying, even after defeat. Self-serving bias can be used to help the process of promoting task persistence. Use self serving bias to boost confidence= internal/stable= ability. When players win they like to think it was down to them. Using self serving bias to protect/guard confidence= external/unstable= luck. Blaming the referee or bad luck to keep players happy/motivated
How could a coach use self serving bias?
- A coach should also make players feel like a loss can be changed- with a little more effort the game could be won next time (internal/unstable= Effort)
- Other external reasons for a loss might be suggested that a team played well against a team that was a simply better than them (external/stable = task difficulty)
- Never give reasons for losing that are internal/stable- such as the players ability, this would lead to a loss in motivation (learned helplessness can occur)
what is learned helplessness?
Using internal/stable reasons for losing. a state of mind when a performer believes failure is inevitable
What are characteristics of learned helplessness?
They attribute ineffectively (opposite to self serving bias). Success- won because of luck. Failure- im bad and never try hard enough. Self loathers. Low self-efficacy. Negative attitude. Outcome goal orientated. NAF need to avoid failure. Performer might give up even if success is possible.
What are the reasons for learned helplessness?
Learned helplessness can be so bad that it becomes general where a player begins to feel they are no good at sport overall (trait confidence). However, it can be specific to one sport or event (state confidence). Learned helplessness is developed through negative feedback and criticism from the coach/others. A lack of success or negative experience can also develop it .
What is mastery orientation?
The opposite to learned helplessness is called mastery orientation. Sports performers with mastery orientation will show approach behaviour(NACH) in competition and will continue to try even ig they don’t succeed at first (task persistence)
What is attribution retraining?
a set of strategies aimed at changing the reasons for failure: You need to change the perception and belief of the player by changing the reasons given for failure. to overcome learned helplessness a coach should refer to Weiner’s model. They need to change internal/stable (ability) reasons for failure into external (luck/task difficulty). When success is attributed to internally to ability/effort they know they can repeat victory/success in the future. Provide motivation via reinforcement- encourages more effort (verbal persuasion). Allow early success so that confidence in ability is achieved.
what are strategies to prevent learnt helplessness?
Set achievable goals performance/process goals. Highlight previous successful performance. positive feedback/encouragement. Providing successful demonstrations within the players capability. Use of cognitive/somatic stress management techniques. Gradually increase task difficulty. Avoid comparison with others.
