Sports Psychology

Weiner’s Attribution Model (1971)

Recap Using Weiner’s Attribution theory, what do successful performers attribute their success and failure to? What do low achieving performers attribute their success and failure to?

Attribution Retraining Attribution retraining involves changing the performer’s perception of the causes of failure. The belief that poor ability is the cause of failure is changed to a belief that a lack of effort was the most important attributional factor in failure. Attribution retraining, therefore, involves focussing the reason for failure onto internal / unstable and controllable factors.

Attribution Retraining Attribution retraining can help to raise confidence, convert avoidance behaviour into approach behaviour, and encourage mastery orientation within an individual. Attribution retraining will promote the likelihood of lifelong sport participation. How can we retrain attributions?

Attribution Retraining: Ability and Effort As an internal and stable attribution, ability is a direct reflection of personal competence. Significantly, the individual has no way of changing it. The application of effort is changeable, however, because effort is unstable. Effort attributions are also internal so that the individual can experience pride in any positive changes. Effort is a particularly valuable attribution as it can be controlled by the performer. It is fear of having no control over failure that underpins learned helplessness.

Task 1 Joe really wants to be a professional swimmer. After a bit of training, he decides to enter himself in the local swimming gala. He comes last out of eight competitors in the lowest ability class. He has been invited to another swimming gala next month but does not want to attend.

Task 1 Using Weiner’s attribution theory model, what might Joe have attributed for his last place in the swimming gala? How has this now affected Joe and his attitude to swimming? How can we change his attributions in an attempt to encourage him to keep swimming?

So… When Joe loses his swimming race, he may blame his own ability (internal factor) “I’m not good enough” This could lead to a negative attitude towards swimming. In order to change this, we need to get him to believe that an increase in effort (internal factor) will lead to increased success

Task 2 In order to change a learner’s attribution, we need to focus upon changing their perception of the causes of behaviour e.g. change it from blaming internal factors - their own ability in a game or effort - to blaming external factors like luck or task difficulty when they fail in a task. We also need to change their perception of success – if they succeed at something they need to think about internal factors that influenced this e.g. ability and effort. Think about strategies we have discussed to change attitudes or modify personality. Is there any way that we can apply this to change someone’s perception of failing, or to avoid learned helplessness?

Therefore… If we experience failure and attribute external factors to why we lost… It encourages mastery orientation Increases self-esteem It eliminates shame

Therefore… If we experience success and attribute internal factors to why we won… It encourages mastery orientation Develops pride Increases confidence

Essay Question - Homework G453 Jan 2012 Q3 (d) Spend some time planning your answer first, then time yourself for 30mins to write the essay. Bring to Tuesdays lesson.