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Attribution Theory and Learning
Figuring out the “why”
Perspectives such as behaviorism and social cognitive theory show us how the consequence (reinforcement or punishment) of a particular behavior affects the extent to which the behavior is likely to appear again. Attribution theory has cast a new light on this notion, maintaining that the consequences of behavior will affect each person’s learning and future behavior differently, depending on how the individual interprets those consequences. Thus, motivation theorists consider this aspect of attribution to be key in the development of learned behavior.
In the 18th century, Hume (1739) argued that assuming there are causes for everything that happens is an inherent part of observing the world, because it makes the world more meaningful. Later, Heider (1958) was the first to propose naïve psychology, a systematic explanation of how individuals make sense of the physical and social environment. Heider found it useful to group our attributions into two major categories: personal and situational. For example, in the case of 9/11, it was natural to wonder: Was the attack caused by characteristics of the hijackers (a personal attribution), or were these individuals somehow coerced or, as some suggested, induced by the promise of a better afterlife (a situational attribution)? For attribution theorists, the goal is not to determine the…
