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Published on: June 14, 2019
Law school performance predicted by explanatory style
J M Satterfield1, J Monahan, M E Seligman
1Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California at San Francisco 94143, USA.
Pessimistic explanatory styles in law students predicted better academic performance, contrary to findings in other fields. This suggests a cautious perspective may benefit success in demanding professions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Legal Education
Background:
- Explanatory style, or attributional style, influences how individuals interpret events.
- Previous research, primarily with undergraduates, linked optimistic explanatory styles to better outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between explanatory styles and academic success in law students.
- To determine if findings in undergraduate populations generalize to the legal profession.
Main Methods:
- Assessed explanatory styles of 387 law students using the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) before matriculation.
- Collected longitudinal academic performance data (GPA, law journal success) throughout law school.
Main Results:
- Students with pessimistic explanatory styles (stable, global, internal attributions for negative events; opposite for positive) outperformed optimistic students.
- This finding contrasts with previous research on undergraduates.
Conclusions:
- A prudent, cautious perspective, characteristic of pessimists, may be advantageous for success in law school and potentially other skill-based professions.
- Current attributional research methodologies may have limitations in capturing nuances relevant to specific professional contexts.
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