title: Automatic ability attribution after failure: a dual process view of achievement attribution.
abstract: Causal attribution has been one of the most influential frameworks in the literature of achievement motivation, but previous studies considered achievement attribution as relatively deliberate and effortful processes. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that people automatically attribute their achievement failure to their ability, but reduce the ability attribution in a controlled manner. To address this hypothesis, we measured participants' causal attribution belief for their task failure either under the cognitive load (load condition) or with full attention (no-load condition). Across two studies, participants attributed task performance to their ability more in the load than in the no-load condition. The increased ability attribution under cognitive load further affected intrinsic motivation. These results indicate that cognitive resources available after feedback play crucial roles in determining causal attribution belief, as well as achievement motivations.
authors.affiliation: Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America. msakaki@usc.edu
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakaki
authors.forename: Kou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murayama
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D001076:Aptitude; D001288:Attention; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis