Attribution Theory | Edexcel A-Level Physical Education (9PE0)
Attribution Theory
- 41 questions
- 3 subtopics
- Component 2: psychological and social principles of physical education
- Component 2
Attribution Theory is examined in Component 2, Psychological and social principles of physical education.
It covers Weiner's attributions for success and failure, the three dimensions of attribution and attribution retraining.
Sample questions from Attribution Theory
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Weiner's attributions for success and failure
What is meant by effort as an attribution?
Show the answer
Effort is how hard the performer tried. A player who blames a defeat on not working hard enough attributes it to effort. -
Weiner's attributions for success and failure
A gymnast blames a failed routine on the vault being the hardest in the competition. Which attribution is she making?
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The gymnast is attributing failure to task difficulty. The difficulty of the vault lies outside the gymnast. -
The three dimensions of attribution
Classify Weiner's four attributions as stable or unstable.
Show the answer
Ability and task difficulty are stable. Effort and luck are unstable. -
The three dimensions of attribution
How do performers with a high need to achieve explain success and failure?
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High achievers put success down to internal, stable factors such as ability. High achievers put failure down to unstable, controllable factors such as effort. -
Attribution retraining
Why is effort the most useful attribution after a defeat?
Show the answer
Effort is unstable and controllable, so the performer can change it next time. The performer stays motivated to train harder. -
Attribution retraining
What is mastery orientation?
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Mastery orientation is an outlook in which a performer sees failure as a chance to improve. Mastery-oriented performers put failure down to unstable, controllable factors.
The 3 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Weiner's attributions for success and failure | Attributions and why coaches care, ability, effort, luck and task difficulty, classifying a tennis player's, a swimmer's and a gymnast's explanations, the self-serving bias and blaming the referee. | 13 |
| The three dimensions of attribution | Locus of causality, stability and controllability, classifying Weiner's four attributions, expectations and emotions, low ability as a cause of failure, high achievers and those who avoid failure, the hockey captain and the long jumper. | 14 |
| Attribution retraining | Attribution retraining after failure, internal attributions for success, effort after defeat, short-term external attributions, goal setting and feedback, learned helplessness, the young swimmer, mastery orientation and planning practice. | 14 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel A-Level Physical Education Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,108 questions with their answers.