Attribution and Cognition: Explaining the Causes of Performance Outcomes

Attribution

• Simply put, an explanation for outcomes/success/failure

• Attribution theory provides a framework that describes the ways in which a person explains (appraises) the causes of performance outcomeS

Purposes of Studying Attribution Theory

• To determine

  • The perceived causes of an outcome/event

  • How these perceived causes are reached

  • The consequences of these causal beliefs (beneficial/adaptive?)

Weiner’s Attribution Model

• Locus of causality

  • Internal vs external

• Stability

  • Stable vs unstable

Ability Causal Attributions

• Internal-stable attribute: Athlete explains outcomes due to high or low ability

• Attributing failure outcomes:

  • Due to low ability: motivation or maladaptive

• Success?

  • Due to high ability: promotes self-efficacy

Effort Causal Attributions

• Internal-Unstable Attribute: Athlete explains outcomes due to high or low effort

• Attributing failure outcomes to low effort:

  • Promotes self-esteem/efficacy

  • Maintains motivation to persist; autonomy; but needs to be accurate

    • Autonomy: a sense of control, you have independence and control

• Attributing success to high effort: Strong motivator

Task/Opponent Causal Attributions

• External-Stable Attribute: Athlete explains outcomes due to external factors

• Attributing failure outcomes to external, stable factors

  • Preserves self esteem/efficacy

  • But is it accurate and/or healthy?

    • Need to combine this with goals/drive for growth

• After success?

  • Maladaptive!

Luck Causal Attributions

• External-Unstable Attribute: Athlete explains outcomes due to good or bad luck (weather; officiating; sport god(s)?)

• Attributing failure outcomes to external, unstable factors:

  • Preserves self esteem/efficacy, but may be self-serving bias

    • Can we add growth/motivation here somehow (e.g., how can we avoid this happening again?)

• After success?

  • Maladaptive!

Expanded Model

• What about locus of CONTROL?

  • Ability, task/opponent, and many external factors are largely uncontrollable

  • But… execution, effort, and getting help from others is controllable

  • Most functional attributions are aspects that are controllable

God?

• Such attributions are clearly external… but what about stability/control?

Application: Predictions from Weiner’s Model

• Participants will drop out of sport or exercise and/or lose motivation if:

  • They experience consistent failure

  • They feel unhappy about their lack of success

  • They see the locus of causality as internal for failure

  • They see that cause as stable and/or beyond control

Coaching Applications

• Help athletes make accurate causal attributions but also ones that encourage autonomy and growth mindset

• After failure

• After success

• Note: Accuracy/effectiveness of attributions can be increased by soliciting athlete input - i.e., reach the attribution collectively

Coaching Applications After Failure

• Avoid low ability attributions

• Examine/accuracy of external and/or unstable attributions (luck, opponent, injuries, effort)

• Emphasize the controllable - “What can we do?”

• Identify sport/game specific areas for improvement

  • Skills, execution, game plan - for both athletes and coaches!

• Emphasize improvement/growth, reinforce the positive

Coaching Applications After Success

• Focus on internal factors; stress unstable/controllable internal attributions (effort, focus, training, teamwork); reinforce positive aspects of performance

How Can we Change our Attributions?

• Awareness and reflection: to understand the impact of thoughts; identify and change thoughts that are not beneficial

  • Reframe negative thoughts

  • Emphasize the power of effort

  • Increase self-efficacy

• Attribution reflection/modifications can improve expectations, emotions, and persistence