Attributions

Question 1

What are the basic attribution categories of the attribution theory?

Answer 1

Stability - stable vs unstable

Locus of causality - internal vs external

Locus of control - in one’s control vs out of one’s control

Question 2

What are the four dimensions of the stability category?

Answer 2

Stable-external - task difficulty

Stable-internal - one’s own ability

Unstable-internal - one’s effort

Unstable-external - ‘luck’

Question 3

What are the psychological outcomes of attributions?

Answer 3

Attributions reflect a self-serving bias

Success is attributed to internal, stable and controllable factors

Failures are attributed to external, unstable and uncontrollable factors

Question 4

What are the emotional influences of internal and external attributions?

Answer 4

Internal increases emotions - pride/shame

External decreases emotions - pride/shame

Question 5

What are the gender roles in attributions?

Answer 5

Females - success is external, failure is internal

Males - success is internal, failure is external