1. Internal versus external attribution of task performance as a function of locus of control, initial confidence and success-failure outcome.
- Author
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Gilmor, Timothy M., Minton, Henry L., Gilmor, T M, and Minton, H L
- Subjects
LOCUS of control ,PERSONALITY ,ATTRIBUTION (Social psychology) ,CONFIDENCE ,CONTROL (Psychology) ,SOCIAL control ,ANXIETY ,ATTITUDE (Psychology) ,COGNITION ,COMPARATIVE studies ,DEFENSE mechanisms (Psychology) ,MATHEMATICAL models ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL cooperation ,PROBLEM solving ,PSYCHOLOGICAL tests ,PSYCHOLOGY ,REINFORCEMENT (Psychology) ,RESEARCH ,SELF-perception ,THEORY ,ACHIEVEMENT ,EVALUATION research - Abstract
The article focuses on a study which discusses the internal versus external attribution of task performance as a function of locus of control, initial confidence, and success-failure outcome. The internal-external control construct (I-E) is conceptualized as a generalized expectancy related to a person's belief concerning the locus of causality for events. The utility of the I-E construct in predicting the direction of blame assignment has been tested directly several times. The notion that internals would attribute blame for either success or failure to internal sources and that externals would tend to blame success or failure to external sources was not empirically validated. Internals tended to attribute responsibility for success to their ability, a stable internal source, while externals tended to attribute responsibility for success to good luck, a variable external source. Under failure, the opposite but non-significant trend was found. Internals tended to be more external in their attribution for failure than were externals.
- Published
- 1974
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