C1.2.4 Attribution Theory (HL)

State causes for success or failure often fall on one end of the spectrum

• “I won because I trained hard”

• “I lost because they got lucky”

• Learned helpfulness can result from blaming losses on stable and internal factors, but out of one’s control. People feel as though nothing can be done

• Stable and internal factors, within control, can be linked to expectations of success. Can motivate an athlete to continue with a training regimen that appears to be working

There are three categories for this theory:

• Locus of stability 

  • Stable or unstable

• Locus of causality

  • Internal or external

• Locus of control

  • In one’s control or out of one’s control

• Internal factors related to a person, and controllable, mean they can do something about them

• External factors are not related to a person, and uncontrollable is out of their control