Causal attributions, expectations, and task performance.

Greenhaus, Jeffrey H. ; Kovenklioglu, Grace Causal Attributions, Expectations and Task Performance. 76 16p. MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. *Attribution Theory; *Expectation; *Failure Factors; *Feedback; Higher Education; Males; *Self Esteem; *Success Factors; Task Performance -A group of 2-J3 male students in a freshman caemIstry class participated !ₙ thls r°: -asearch, which investigated the relationship between perik, rmance attributions and expectations and performance on a subsequent task. College students attributed their success or failure on two chemistry tests to ability, effort, luck, cr task difficulty, and indicated how well they expected to perform on a subsequent test. Among students who succeeded on the tests, expected and actual performance on the next test were positively related to ability attributions and negatively related to luck attributions. Among students who experienced failure, expected performance was negatively related to ability attributions and positively related to effort attributions. This suggests that failure can be a learning experience only when one feels that the behavior can be changed. Implications for job performance suggested that feedback may help the employee. (Author) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Causal Attributions, Expectations and Task Performance Jeffrey H. Greenhaus and Grace Kovenklioglu Stevens Institute of Technology PEff TO REPRODUCE THIS 4. 7. T MAL HAS BEEN GRANTED fiY (II: Cr' 1/1 (10 THE EDUCAT IONAL RESOURCES iNFORMA f ION CENTER IEPICI ANO '5H-Is THE EFIJI: SYSTEM U S OEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION i WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO. OuCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Running head: Causal Attributions Causal Attributions, Expectations and Task Performance In a recent treatment of career development, Hen (1976) has proposed that goal attainment on a job can lead to feelings of psychological success which, in turn, raises self-esteem. Increments in self-esteem are presumed to lead to. . . additional goal-directed behavior in that task area, often with an increased level of aspiration (Hall, 1976, p. 125). The linkage of goal attainment to psychological success to self-esteem to higher aspirations seems to reflect an assumption that success breeds success. If organizations can simulate task success for its employees, high aspirations and fui: ther success may follow. Whether success always breeds success is an interesting empirical question. Recent research suggests that people attribute their success or failure experiences to different causes, and these causal attributions may affect a person's orientation toward success or failure in the future. Attribution research (Frieze, 1973; Rosenbaum, 1972; Weiner, Frieze, Kukla, Reed, Rest and Rosenbaum, 1971) has found that people tend to attribute their success or failure on a task to one or more of the following four causes: ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck. Weiner et al. (1971) have classified the causal attributions along two dimensions: locus of control and stability. The locus of control dimension reflects the distinction between internal (ability, effort and external (task difficulty, luck) attributions. In addition, ability and task difficulty are generally