Causal attribution, cognitive interference, and the generalization of learned helplessness

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Attribution theory explains how individuals interpret events.
• Learned helplessness describes performance deficits following uncontrollable negative events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating role of off-task cognitions in the performance effects of global versus specific attributions for failure.
• To examine how uncontrollable situations (unsolvable problems) interact with attributional styles and off-task thinking.

Main Methods:

• Three experiments were conducted involving participants exposed to different feedback conditions (no feedback, failure feedback, unsolvable problems) and attributional styles (global vs. specific).
• Off-task cognitions and performance were measured.
• One experiment included a condition to restrain off-task cognitions.

Main Results:

• Unsolvable problems led to performance deterioration and increased off-task cognitions, particularly in participants with global attributions for failure.
• Off-task cognitions were found to interfere with performance after encountering unsolvable problems.
• Instructions to minimize off-task cognitions eliminated the negative performance effects associated with global attributions.

Conclusions:

• Off-task cognitions mediate the negative performance impact of global attributions for failure, especially in challenging situations.
• Findings align with test anxiety and excuse-making theories of learned helplessness.
• Interventions aimed at reducing off-task thinking may buffer performance decrements in individuals prone to global attributions.