Abstract
Maymon, Hall, and Goetz apply Weiner’s attribution theory to academic computing failures — stable attributions predict helplessness and guilt; internal attributions shape responsibility and emotion after setbacks.
Maymon, R., Hall, N. C., & Goetz, T. (2018). PLOS ONE, 13(3), e0193443. DOI
Key findings
- Stable attributions — Attributing failures to stable causes predicts helplessness, boredom, and guilt — consistent with Weiner’s emotion rules.
- Internal vs external — Internal attributions for problems link to lower helplessness in some conditions; external attributions can be self-protective depending on problem severity.
- Attribution–emotion chain — Causal attributions for achievement-relevant events systematically predict emotional responses before behaviour change.
Application
When disappointment spikes, ask whether you are attributing to a stable character flaw — swap to an unstable, specific subject you can move this week.