Examines the relationship between personality, as represented by Rotter's internal versus external control of reinforcement (locus of control), and frequency of public library use by university freshmen. Review of literature, hypothesis for study, definitions (independent and dependent variables), methodology and data collection, and findings are…

Examined personality (persistence, future orientation, and the tendency toward reckless/rash behavior) and cognitive factors related to success or failure in college science courses. One finding noted is that both men and women were more apt to attribute their success to effort/ability, and their failure to the difficulty of a task. (JN)

Examines how people use "accounts," (communicate their own preferred meaning to explain a failure or problem in a more acceptable way). Illustrates the use of accounts in a teacher-student conference. (PD)

Examined development of relations between causal explanations, the anticipated emotional consequences for others if these causes were communicated, and the decision to disclose or withhold causal explanation. Within a role-playing paradigm, children aged 5-12 were given scenarios involving social rejection or broken social engagement. Data…

Five studies were conducted to determine if college students employ different conceptions of ability in self-referenced (task-involving) and interpersonally competitive (ego-involving) situations. Competence and positive affects were associated with higher effort in task-involving situations but negatively associated with higher effort in…

This study examined the influence of female students' (N=90) self-monitoring and attribution on achievement when throwing darts. It was hypothesized: (1) that students who set strategic process goals and used self-evaluative recording would attribute outcomes to strategic causes; and (2) that students who set outcome goals and did not use…

This study examined the factors to which parents attribute their children's academic failure. Participating in the research were 13 parents, all living in Malta. About half of the parents' 41 children (ranging in age from 6 to 17 years) had experienced failure in school examinations. Almost all the parents were from a low socioeconomic background.…

Investigated the implicational relations between dispositional levels and relevant categories of behavior. Findings were consistent with the idea that dispositional labels are used to represent a central tendency in a person's behavior. (Author)

A study explored the effects of classroom feedback and evaluation structure on students' attributional tendencies. Results suggest that the classroom feedback and evaluation system affect students' causal explanations of failure and success. (Author/CJ)

The effects of corrective testing and how such feedback might affect high- and low-test-anxious students differently are indicated. Subjects were 286 college students in three classes--one using mastery testing and two using multiple choice tests. (Author/PN)

Explored the relationship between attribution of success and sex role orientation of women (N=114) in graduate school. Results indicated that, among achievement oriented college women, attributional style was related to sex role orientation. Women who were more traditional saw their reinforcers coming from family and social forces. (JAC)

Reports research into the affective responses of 75 University of Iowa undergraduate students to situations varying in achievement outcome, task importance, and effort. Analysis of variance indicates that the affective component score is dependent mainly on the student's perceptions of his/her academic success or failure. (EAO)

Self-concept development is basic to health education. Health educators should give students the "tools" to develop their own self-concept as a lifelong skill, rather than as a transitory interest. Several methods and activities exist that can improve human interaction, decision making, and personal growth. (FG)

Health educators may be expecting the public to accept too much personal responsibility for disease. Genetic, environmental, and other factors may be as important as health-promoting behavior in avoiding disease. If health educators overstate the role of personal responsibility for health, they may lose credibility with the public. (PP)

Over 300 students assessed their causal attributions and expectations for success and failure in mathematics, and their self concepts of math ability. Results varied, depending on research method employed, but did not when taken together support the hypothesis that girls are more learned helpless in mathematics than are boys. (Author/GC)