Causal attribution for success and failure: A multivariate investigation of dimensionality, formation, and consequences.

The dimensions underlying causal attributions for success and failure, the influence of various informational cues on attributions along these dimensions, and the consequences of such attributions were investigated using a three-mode factor analytic technique developed by Harshman. Hypothetical cases describing high school students' performance on a university entrance exam, their performance in high school, the performance of others on the exam, and the importance of the exam were presented to 200 male university students in a within-subjects design. The students were described as male to half of the subjects and as female to the other half. Subjects judged how strongly each of nine possible causes (e.g., ability, preparation) may have influenced performance on the exam. Ratings of perceived satisfaction and expectancy of future success were also obtained. Results of the analysis revealed three factors corresponding to the stability, locus, and control dimensions proposed by Weiner. Attributions along these dimensions were influenced primarily by consistency, consensus, and incentive information, respectively. Ratings of expectancy and satisfaction were in turn related to the stability and controllability of the perceived causes. The data are discussed in terms of their support for Weiner's attributional model of motivation and the need to identify general dimensions of causal attribution.