Attribution theory deals with how people make causal explanations for events. It examines what information people use to form causal judgments. Attribution theory seeks to explain cognitive processes like perception, memory, reasoning, and judgment. Specifically, it concerns how people attribute causes to their own and others' behaviors. Attribution theory originated with Fritz Heider, who identified internal characteristics and external factors as the two categories for explaining events. Later, Julian Rotter examined perceptions of control over events, and Bernard Weiner described how attributions influence motivation and learning behaviors. Understanding attribution theory can help improve learning by changing attributions that hinder motivation.

1. Attribution Theory
Walter Guertin
Eastern Nazarene College
College Teaching and the Adult Learner
20140401

2. “Attribution theory deals with how the social perceiver
uses information to arrive at causal explanations for
events. It examines what information is gathered and
how it is combined to form a causal judgment.” (Fiske
& Taylor, 1991).
Attribution Theory Definition

3.  Seeks to explain the cognitive process (perception,
memory, reason or judgment)
 These explanatory inferences are used as to the cause
of events
 In other words, how do we attach meaning to other’s
behavior or our own
Attribution Theory Assumptions

4.  Fritz Heider (1958)
 One of the first to analyze the process
 Two general categories of explanation as to
what caused a particular event
Attribution Theory Origins

5.  Internal – characteristics of the individual
ability, attitudes, personality, mood, and effort
 External – task, other people, or luck
Attribution Theory Origins

6. Heider established that successes and
failures are interpreted by an individual
within this causal framework.
Attribution Theory Origins

7.  Julian Rotter (1966)
 Theory of locus of control
 Examined individual perceptions of control
over events
Attribution Theory Origins

8. Bernard Weiner (1971) describes:
How individuals interpret events
How interpretations influence motivation
for learning and future learning behaviors
Attribution Theory Origins

9. Numerous attributions for success and
failure such as mood, instructional bias, to
illness.
Individual successes and failures attributed
to ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck
Attribution Theory Origins

10.  Ability, Effort, Task Difficulty, and Luck
 These are characterized by the casual dimensions
of Locus, Stability, and Controllability
Attribution Theory Origins

11.  Locus is either Internal or External to the Individual
 Stability dimension refers to the perceived ability
attribute to change over time; a relative attribute
 Controllability refers to whether or not the
individual can control the factor
Attribution Theory Origins

12.  Understanding motivational consequences of
attributions is important to understanding learning
behaviors.
 Students are likely to persist in their efforts at
learning when they feel in control
 Students are likely to feel in control when the factors
attributed to their outcomes are seen as internal,
stable, and controllable.
(Shrunk & Zimmerman, 2006)
Predictable Learning Action

13. While people strive to find reasons for behaviors, they
fall into many traps of biases and errors such as:
 1. Fundamental attribution error
 2. Culture bias
 3. Actor/Observer difference
 4. Dispositional attributions
 5. Self-serving bias
 6. Defensive attribution hypothesis
Flaws of Attribution Theory

14. Fundamental Attribution Error

15. Relevance for Adult Learners
Changing Attributions with Regard to Academic
Performance
 Helps us to see if our locus internal vs. external
 Changes learning behaviors
 Break cycles of self-blame
 Writing-based attributional-retraining interventions
 Advise students who are struggling

16. Learning Activity

17. Debrief of Attribution Theory

18. Discussion

19. social psychology. 2014. In Merriam-Webster.com.
Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/
dictionary/social%20psychology
Fiske, S.T., & Taylor, S.E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2006). Competence and control beliefs:
Distinguishing the means and ends. In P. A. Alexamder & P. H. Winnie (Eds.),
Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Demetriou, C., (2011). The Attribution Theory of Learning and Advising Students on
Academic Probation. NACADA Journal, Volume 31 (2).
References