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Attribution for success and failure as a function of perceived age
Journal of Gerontology
|September 1, 1979
Summary
Younger individuals’ failures are attributed to unstable factors like low effort, while older individuals’ failures are linked to stable causes such as lack of ability. This impacts perceptions of competence.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Attribution Theory
- Age and Stereotyping
Background:
- Attributional models explain how people interpret success and failure.
- Stereotypes about the elderly can influence judgments of their competence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-based attributions for success and failure.
- To examine how expected vs. unexpected outcomes influence causal judgments.
Main Methods:
- A between-subjects experimental design was employed.
- Participants estimated success probabilities and judged causes for young and old individuals.
- Stimulus persons' success or failure in college was evaluated.
Main Results:
- No age differences were found in expectancy of success or attributions for success.
- Failure in younger individuals was attributed to unstable causes (lack of effort).
- Failure in older individuals was attributed to stable causes (lack of ability, task difficulty).
Conclusions:
- Attributions for failure align with stereotypes when outcomes are unexpected.
- Judgments about the elderly's competence are influenced by attributions for their failures.
- Negative stereotypes about the elderly's competency can be reinforced by these attributional biases.