To explore the effects of competition in a state fair art show on high school art students' self-concepts, three hypotheses were investigated. It was expected that (1) a significant majority of students entering the art competition would have an internal locus of control; (2) students who were characterized by an internal locus of control would…

In recent research the assessment of worry and emotionality as separate components of test anxiety has become a salient point. Because of theoretical advances in this field it seems to be necessary to include both aspects in the measures that are used to assess test anxiety. Some literature on this distinction is available, but no longitudinal…

Recent work in attribution theory has shown the importance of not only the distinction between beliefs in internal and external causes, but also between relatively fixed, stable causes and those more unstable and subject to change. The relationships of causal attributions for success and failure in achievement and social affiliation with…

The cognitive approach to stereotypes views stereotyping as a natural consequence of normal cognitive processes; therefore, information that is inconsistent with a stereotype is less likely to be remembered. To investigate this hypothesis an earlier experiment was replicated in three studies. Subjects received congruent or neutral information…

Using a sample of college students assembled in groups of dyads representing all possible combinations of gender and race, this study sought to determine whether attributions made by conversational participants about each other are a function of the time patterns of their verbal interaction. It was found that the participants' pause and switching…

This study investigated developmental trends in children's attributions for success and failure in achievement and social situations. Twenty-four second graders, 21 fourth graders, and 24 sixth graders were shown pictures and told accompanying stories depicting either social and achievement success or social and achievement failure. They were then…

The apparent external validity of the finding that self-perceptions of ability persevere after the basis for such impressions has been totally discredited was examined. In this study, subjects persevered in their perceptions of personal persuasiveness even after it was revealed that the initial success or failure upon which their impressions were…

The relationships between acquaintanceship, resistance, and perceptions of rape were examined. In a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design, subjects were presented with a description of a situation in which the woman was forced to engage in sex. Four levels of acquaintance were included. In addition, the woman either strongly resisted her assailant, or…

This paper presents an overview of current research on causal attributions for success and failure with a focus on theoretical developments since the Weiner et al (1971) paper and applications which have been made using this theoretical model. Theoretical advances include more sophisticated measurement of causal attributions, applications of the…

One hundred and seventy five adults were surveyed to collect data on attributes and attitudes related to poverty. The authors attempted to evaluate attributions outside a laboratory setting in order to collect data applicable to real-world settings, taking into consideration the complexities of modern society. The study was concerned with the…

This paper presents a study of children's abilities to make inferences about an actor's plans and to use these inferences to assign blame and praise. Preschool children were presented with eight stories combining good and bad intentions with final outcomes that were either intended or accidental (foreseeable or unforeseeable side effects). Results…

If overattribution--the tendency for observers to think actors' attitudes match their behaviors even when behaviors are not freely performed--results from the fundamental attribution error, then observers must believe the coerced behavior is attributionally informative. This assumption was tested by (1) investigating the extent to which attitude…

A two-year study that attempted to measure patterns of pupil attributions for success and failure in mathematics is reviewed. An attribution pattern variable (ATTPAT) was created to categorize individuals studied into three groups. The first group had an attribution pattern thought to lead to generalized low expectancies for success. Students…

One attributional model of achievement proposes that individuals attribute their own and others' performance outcomes to one or more of four causes, i.e., ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck, and that such attributions have motivational significance for subsequent achievement-related behavior. The effects of gender, level of resultant…

The development of attributional patterns for male and female success and failure in sex-typed activities was examined. A total of 243 children in preschool, first, third, fifth, and eleventh grades were given a booklet of eight drawings, each of which depicted a young adolescent completing a task. The drawings varied on sex of actor, sex-typing…