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Causal attributions for losing as perceived by adolescents
1State University of New York, Buffalo 14260.
Adolescence
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Adolescent girls and older students attribute losses to internal factors like effort or ability, while boys and younger students attribute losses to external factors like luck or task difficulty. Self-esteem did not influence these perceptions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Development
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Understanding causal attributions for failure is crucial in adolescent psychology.
- Previous research has explored attributions, but specific developmental and gender differences require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine causal attributions for perceived losses in early and late adolescents.
- To identify differences in attributions based on gender and grade level.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 150 high school students completed a questionnaire on attributions for not achieving desired outcomes in sport, academic, and social activities.
- Attributions were categorized into task difficulty, luck, effort, or ability.
Main Results:
- Adolescent girls reported significantly more internal attributions (effort, ability) than boys, who reported more external attributions (luck, task difficulty).
- Seventh graders' attributions were predominantly external, whereas twelfth graders' attributions were predominantly internal.
- No significant differences in attributions were found between adolescents with high and low self-esteem.
Conclusions:
- Gender and developmental stage significantly influence adolescent causal attributions for failure.
- Findings suggest implications for designing achievement tasks that consider these attributional differences.