Reports on two treatment studies of special education students markedly helpless with regard to arithmetic: one comparing attribution retraining treatment to control treatment matched to it in schedule of successes and failures; the other comparing effects of three success-failure schedules on attributions and persistence. (Author/NRB)

Investigated effects of clients' initial self-presentations on counselors' impressions. Clients expressing personal attributions were viewed as more motivated and attractive than clients making situational attributions. When the reason for seeking help was intrinsic, subjects perceived clients to be more motivated and as having a better prognosis…

The author reviews the literature on attribution theory and extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, and describes how teacher educators can work with prospective teachers to facilitate improved classroom conditions to motivate student teachers and, in turn, students. (MT)

Administered items from three locus of control (LOC) tests and the Beck Hopelessness Scale to 197 undergraduates. Factor analyses produced multiple factors for each LOC test; Beck proved to be unidimensional. Each LOC test contained salient dimension describing belief in luck, chance, or fate. Other common themes were internal control and…

Ninety managers interacted with low performing workers who demonstrated either insufficient ability or motivation. Results indicated that cooperative superiors expected mutual assistance, communicated supportively, and gave assistance. Superiors used threats and disliked low effort subordinates but wanted to work again with low ability…

The interrelationships among motivational variables drawn from locus of control (LOC) theory and attribution theory, combined with measures of school achievement were measures of school achievement were investigated. Motivational instruments were administered to intermediate grade students and achievement data were extracted from existing school…

First and second graders were exposed to a memory task in which their recall performance varied as a function of their incidentally elicited sorting behavior. When asked what had affected their recall, only some children at each grade identified sorting as a causal factor. Causal attributions predicted use of sorting strategy in a standard…

Thirty-seven counselor education graduate students were asked to assign validity ratings to seven possible explanations of what determines behavior. The students assigned high validity ratings to an "interaction" explanation for behavior. Further, they attributed their own behavior to external causes and the behavior of others to internal causes.…

The paper reviews research on the effects of motivation on performance of learning disabled children and presents a treatment approach (attribution retraining) designed to help children link their difficulties to factors under their own control. (CL)

Investigates the severity of the sanctions group members (N=72) recommend in judging socially proscribed acts. Results showed that the greater the seriousness and attribution of personal responsibility, the more severe the sanctions. Status failed to reveal a mediating influence in the judgmental process. (LLL)

Concludes that the processes involved in gathering information can of themselves affect some of the assessments that journalists make of their sources. (FL)

Examined managers' perceptions of subordinates' performance, causes (attributions) of subordinates' performance, and the leader behaviors they employed toward subordinates from the standpoint of cross-situational consistency versus cross-situational specificity. Empirical results for 377 Navy managers provided strong support for cross-situational…

The article offers suggestions for dealing with learning disabled children's apparent lack of achievement motivation, which may be a lack of belief that their actions affect academic and nonacademic achievement. Suggestions include establishing appropriate standards, focusing on effort rather than outcome, and promoting self-acceptance of credit…

The recent application of Weiner's attribution theory to the career exploration and planning process has resulted in a series of investigations designed to assist college students to develop an optimistic attributional style for career decision making. This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of three attributional retraining investigations…