Weiner’s research on an individual’s attribution process in response to an outcome (e.g. receiving a bad grade) reveals three causal dimensions: locus of causality (whether the cause is internal or external), stability (permanence and steadiness of the cause), and controllability (how much self-control one has over the cause) (Weiner, 1995, 2000). Weiner’s attribution theory has been tested by many meta-analyses, but there remain no meta-analyses that center around using participant-assessed causal dimensions as a way of studying the associations between cognition and behaviors in achievement settings. As a result, Brun et. al (2021) devised a study to determine how an individual’s causal attributions of a positive or negative achievement situation may be related to their cognitive and behavioral responses. They also studied the potential moderators (e.g. age, gender, country of origin, etc.) of such relationships.
To carry this out, the researchers sourced a broad collection of documents from various databases that were related to psychology and educational research, using keywords such as causal attribution, causal dimension, and attribution dimension. To filter out unnecessary studies, the researchers did an initial screening with the titles of the documents, looking only for those that involved quantitative data, used Weiner’s intrapersonal attributional theory, and used the direct-rating method when assessing causal dimensions. A second screening took place, this time searching for studies that were quantitative and had original data, used the direct-rating method to explore causal dimensions, included over 10 participants, included statistical data for coding, and did not have participants that had any special status. In the end, the meta-analysis utilized only 43 documents. The results suggested that the model developed by the researchers went along well with the data, suggesting that the causal dimensions including the locus of causality, stability, and controllability are related to the cognitive (e.g. expectancy of success) and behavioral responses (e.g. behavioral adjustment and performance). The study also revealed some variations across samples as a result of differences in age, country of origin, context, and type of event.
Brun et al.’s (2021) meta-analysis exhibits how causal dimensions can be shaped by instructors in a specific way that enhances students’ perseverance and performance in academic settings. For instance, when an athlete loses a sports match, the coach can guide the athlete to think of the specific things that are controllable (e.g. keep practicing one’s skills), encouraging the athlete to make progress and maintain his or her determination. This is in line with EPIC’s current focus on helping individuals learn from their failures with the goal of paving the way for success. Further investigation can be conducted to explore whether the relationships among the causal dimensions, cognition, and behavioral responses apply to populations other than students.
Address the author and their study:
If you want to learn more about Brun et al.’s (2021) study, check it out at: https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000331
This post was written by Jessica Wang.
Reference:
Brun, L., Pansu, P., & Dompnier, B. (2021). The role of causal attributions in determining behavioral consequences: A meta-analysis from an intrapersonal attributional perspective in achievement contexts. Psychological Bulletin, 147(7), 701–718. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000331
Weiner, B. (1995). Judgments of responsibility: A foundation for a theory of social conduct. Guilford Press.
Weiner, B. (2000). Intrapersonal and interpersonal theories of motivation from an attributional perspective. Educational Psychology Review, 12(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009017532121
