Attribution Theory

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Recommended: The Attribution Theory by George Kelly

With reference to articles published within the last decade, critically evaluate the contribution to Social Psychology made by any one Attribution Theory

This paper will define and explain attributions based on Weiner’s (1974, 1985) theory of attribution, The literature surrounding Weiner’s (1974, 1985) model shall be examined, in particular, articles that focus on stigmatisation within society, and the usefulness of attributions in a sporting context, before finally exploring the universal applicability of attributions in different cultural societies.

An attribution refers to an individual’s perceived cause or causes of their own and others behaviour. We interpret other people’s actions and we predict what they will do under certain circumstances. Though these ideas are usually not formulated, they often function adequately (Heider, 1944). Attributions are common to everyday life, and individual and unique life experiences means that not everyone’s attributions are synonymous. Basic models of attribution were theorised as early as the 1940s (Heider, 1944; Heider and Simmel, 1944), with more recognised theories being introduced in the 1950s and 1960s (Heider, 1958; Jones and Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1967). Weiner (1974, 1985) extended these ideas, summarising his own theory of attribution and introducing a conception known as achievement motivation (Weiner, 1979).

Weiner’s (1974) attribution model initially included two dimensions; locus of cause and stability of cause. The locus of cause dimension refers to the determinant of the behaviour. The behaviour is either a result of internal, dispositional factors, or a result of external, situational factors. Internal factors include agents that are within our control, such as ...

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...al Learning Press.

Weiner, B. (1979). A Theory of Motivation for some Classroom Experiences. Journal of Educational Psychology, 71. 3-25.

Weiner, B. (1985). Spontaneous Causal Thinking. Psychological bulletin, 97. 74-84.

Weiner, B. (1986). An Attributional Theory of Motivation and Emotion. Springer, Berlin, Germany.

Wiese, H. J., Wilson, J. F., Jones, R. A., & Neises, M. (1992). Obesity Stigma Reduction in Medical Students. International Journal of Obesity, 16. 869-868.

Wiggins-James, N., James, R., & Thompson, G. (2006). A2 PE for AQA. Heinemann, Oxford.

Willner, P., & Smith, M. (2007). Attribution Theory Applied to Helping Behaviour Towards People with Intellectual Disabilities who Challenge. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 21. 150-155.

Woods, B. (2001). Psychology in Practice: Sport. Hodder & Stoughton, Abingdon, Oxon.

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