Running head: Attribution Style and Motivation 1

Attribution Style and Motivation

Don Pruitt

PSY-FP7411 - Learning Theory in Psychology

Attribution Style and Motivation

Capella University

November 2018
Attribution Style and Motivation 2

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship between one’s attribution style and the intrinsic and

extrinsic motivational factors one experiences. The paper begins with an explanation of

attribution style and motivation, discussing the difference between internal and external

motivation. The paper then discusses how those factors guide personal decisions related to

professional development, using the author as an example. Finally, the paper addresses the

importance of attribution theory and motivation with regard to its use in sport psychology.
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Attribution Style and Motivation

Connection between attribution style and extrinsic and intrinsic motivation

Attribution styles are described by Weiner's attribution theory and explain that learners

are driven to understand why specific events happened, which heavily influence how the learner

explains academic success. Weiner's model extended the earlier the works of Heider and Rotter.

Heider posited that outcomes are functions of both personal and environmental forces,

represented by the factors of learner ability, learner effort, and task difficulty, whereas Rotter

limited his explanation to learner skill and luck. (Weibell, 2011).

Interestingly, both theories identified internal and external factors that explained learner

perceptions of success causality. Weiner's theory combines these into an overarching framework

that includes the factors of learner ability, learner effort, task difficulty, and luck and distills

them to provide three explanations for a learner's explanation of their success, or failure. These

explanations include whether the learner believes there were greater forces from within the

learner (internal) or from the environment (external), which defines the learner's perceived locus

of causality; whether the causes were stable (which promotes consistent outcomes) or unstable

(which promotes differing outcomes); and whether the causes can be controlled by the learner or

not (Weiner, 1972).

Beyond describing the description and structure of causation. Because Weiner realized

that virtually every motivational theory identified the expectation of goal attainment as a primary

factor that drives action, he sought to prove the linkage between attribution theory and goal

attainment. To do this, he evaluated the existing research as it pertained to the impact of

perceived causality on learner behavior in terms of expectancy and value. Weiner reviewed a

dozen studies, including Meyer (1973), McMahan (1973), Inagi (1977), Rosenbaum (1972), and
Attribution Style and Motivation 4

others and found broad agreement that how learners perceive the causation of success or failure

heavily influence their level of expectation for success in future endeavors. Indeed, the literature

clearly showed strong linkages between one's attributions and one's emotions, providing a causal

link (though focused on a small number of factors) between the learners’ perceptions of success

and their emotional behavior. This enabled Weiner to create links that explain learner behavior

and motivations in terms of their perceptions of success (Weiner, 1985).

Ultimately, learners describe the causes of their success or failure in terms of their locus

of control, which is either intrinsic (internal), in which the learner is the source of the outcome,

or extrinsic (external), in which the success or failure is caused by other factors. Learners who

have an intrinsic view of causation tend to attribute outcomes to themselves, either because of

their ability or their effort. Conversely, learners who have an external view of their locus of

control will attribute success and failure to the external factors of luck and task difficulty

(Thoron & Bunch, 2017).

The following scenario provides an example of attribution theory and how perceptions

affect motivation. Assume a learner, who has been receiving low grades in a class, receives a

failing grade on an assignment even after exerting a significant amount of effort to do well. The

learner reflects on memories of previous poor performance (even with the exertion of effort) and

attributes his poor performance to a lack of aptitude. Using Weiner's model, one can observe

that aptitude is categorized as an internal (within the learner), stable (leading to consistent

results), and uncontrollable (perceived inability to change) factor. This realization drives

negative emotions of hopelessness and a belief that no matter how hard he works he will be

unable to achieve success in the class. This can result in the learner dropping the class, changing

majors, or even dropping out of school. Alternatively, a different learner also receives a failing
Attribution Style and Motivation 5

grade on the assignment. However, this learner has experienced success in the past based on her

level of effort. She realizes that she spent more time studying for an exam in another class and

not enough time completing her assignment for this class. She therefore attributes her failure to

a lack of effort which, when evaluated using Weiner's model, is categorized as internal (caused

by herself), unstable (potential for different results with the same inputs), and controllable

(learner can change the outcome through her actions). With this view, she can be motivated to

improve her performance as she perceives success linked to her efforts.

Personal Learning Process Decisions

Knowledge of one’s attribution style, as well as how intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

factors guide one’s decisions regarding one’s personal learning process. As noted earlier, many

learning theories, such as social cognitive theory, identify self-efficacy, or the learner being a

vital component of the learning process, as a key component of learning. As such, the learner’s

actions, and the motivations for those actions, within the learning are important to understand.

From this standpoint, the concept of self-regulatory process helps explain how one’s attribution

style and motivational factors affect learning decisions. Self-regulatory is the process in which a

learner conducts herself in a manner focused on developing academic skills from her

intelligence, and consists of three phases: performance, self-reflection, and forethought (Cetin,

2015).

By gaining an understanding of attribution style and motivation factors, learners can

effectively utilize the forethought phase to improve their performance. The forethought phase

incorporates a learner’s planning and guides the decisions the learner will make in terms of what

learning opportunities to pursue, and where a learner’s motivation has a significant impact. First,

the learner can decide which opportunities to pursue based on her perception of her ability to
Attribution Style and Motivation 6

attain academic success in the endeavor. Research has shown that learners who utilize self-

regulated strategies for learning enable themselves to acquire increased control over their

learning environments. Second, learners can manage both internal and external motivation

strategies to leverage their strengths and adapt their learning process to become more successful.

An intrinsic example would demonstrate that learners who may feel that they lack the ability to

complete an advanced course can enroll for basic courses that will give them the skills and

knowledge they need to complete the advanced course at a later date. Alternatively, an external

motivation strategy could be a learner attaching a reward (or punishment) to her academic

performance. For example, the learner may tell herself that she will not go out with her friends

next weekend if she does not Perform well on an upcoming test (Cetin, 2015).

From a personal standpoint, after taking Rotter’s assessment of internal-external control,

this author has been identified as having an internal locus of control, meaning that he attributes

success to his own actions and abilities more than to external factors such as luck (Rotter, 1966).

This affects his decisions vis a vis his learning process as he will tend to approach professional

development opportunities in a positive manner, believing that he can successfully complete

academic challenges by applying himself and exerting the effort needed to complete courses and

assignments. For example, as the author reviewed his current responsibilities within his

company, he felt that obtaining a master’s degree in Sport Psychology would be an obtainable

and valuable goal.

Importance of attribution style and extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to Sport Psychology

Attribution and motivation are critical factors in Sport Psychology. Sport Psychologists

are often called upon to assist athletes, and teams with improving their performance. With a firm

understanding of attribution theory, as well as internal and external motivation, the Sport
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Psychologist has a better chance of guiding those athletes and teams to improve. For example,

athletes are often told that a lack of performance can be directly attributed to their level of effort.

While this can be beneficial because effort is controllable while ability is not, there are times

when this approach may not be optimal. For example, if an athlete truly exerted her maximum

level of effort and still did not perform well, attributing the failure to lack of effort may have

negative consequences, such as hurting morale and motivation to perform. In cases like that,

where effort lack of effort is not the cause of lackluster performance, it may be more beneficial

to help the athlete to attribute the poor performance to poor strategy or execution, which can be

controlled as well. Sport Psychologists who understand attribution theory, and an athlete’s locus

of control, can better assist coaches, teams, and athletes to identify the appropriate motivations

that can help improve performance (Rees, Ingledew & Hardy, 2005).

Conclusion

Psychologists, particularly those in the subfield of sports psychology, must ensure that

they have a complete understanding of how individuals attribute their successes and failures in

order to better understand how to assist them to improve. By identifying perceived causes for

outcomes as internal and external, sport psychologists can help to develop motivational strategies

that can optimize the manner in which individual athletes and teams learn and develop, resulting

in improved performance over time.

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References

Çetin, B. (2015). Academic motivation and self-regulated learning in predicting academic

achievement in college. Journal of International Education Research, 11(2), 95-n/a.

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Rees, T., Ingledew, D. K., & Hardy, L. (2005). Attribution in sport psychology: Seeking

congruence between theory, research and practice. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 6(2),

189-204. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2003.10.008. Retrieved from https://ac-els-cdn-

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Rotter, J. B. (1966). Rotter's internal-external control scale. ?PsycTESTS. Retrieved from

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Thoron, A.C., Bunch, J.C. (October 2017). Attribution Theory: How Is It Used? Department of

Agricultural Education and Communication, UF/IFAS Extension. Retrieved from

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Weibull, C. J. (2011). Principles of learning: 7 principles to guide personalized, student-centered

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Weiner, B. (1972). Attribution Theory, Achievement Motivation, and the Educational Process.

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http://www.jstor.org/stable/1170017

Weiner, B. (1985). An Attributional Theory of Achievement Motivation and Emotion.

Psychological Review, 1985, Vol. 92, No. 4, 548-573. Retrieved from

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