Children ages 3 to 5 years old are observed in a series of 3 experiments assessing their use of counterfactual thinking in causal reasoning. Results suggest that young children readily interpret the cause of an outcome in terms of a contrast between the observed sequence of events, and a counterfactual alternative in which the outcome did not…

Examines the influence of information, counselor race, and client race on counselors' attributions. Caucasian and African American counselors were assigned to one of four experimental conditions. A videotaped client who discussed an employment problem was used to manipulate information and race. Differences were found between African American and…

Studies primary school Chinese students living in Hong Kong to learn their causal attributions for examination results. Identifies age-related differences in perceived attainment, success expectancy, causal attributions, and achievement goals. Finds discrepancies with earlier Western studies and links these to Chinese socialization patterns where…

The extent to which motivation/attribution variables explain self-confidence in learning mathematics (SCLM) and whether students make attributions for their successes/failures in mathematics were studied, using 489 seventh graders. Attributional style, effort as a mediator of ability, failure as an acceptable phase in learning mathematics, and…

Reviews research on the theory of internal-external (IE) control expectancies over the past 30 years. Relates the IE to the following current attributions and personal styles: (1) perceived control; (2) helplessness; and (3) optimism, particularly in regard to health. (FMW)

The relationship of achievement attributions of 34 learning-disabled children (in grades three through eight) to academic progress and developmental patterns of attributional styles was examined in longitudinal studies (continuing for two years). Developmental changes in achievement attributions parallel those of non-disabled peers (n=40), but…

Two laboratory studies examined self- and socially caused behavior. Found that subjects who preferred socially caused behavior were more likely to choose spontaneous interactions with strangers (Study 1) and were more accurate in assessing their own influence over behavior of others in self-disclosure task (Study 2) than were those who preferred…

The author of EC 608 658 reflects on her interest in the social life of students with learning disabilities, the relationship of her study to other studies on social behavior and self-concept, the finding that students with learning disabilities attribute both internal and external factors for successful outcomes, and the importance of attribution…

This study, in which 49 12-year-old students with mild or moderate mental retardation completed memory tasks, found that attributional training cannot replace rehearsal strategy training but can increase the effectiveness of strategy training. This confirms the need to consider both the cognitive and motivational aspects of strategic behavior. (DB)

Aggressive and nonaggressive third- through fifth-grade African-American boys were assigned to a behavior intervention program designed to reduce aggressive males' tendency to attribute hostile intentions to peers, an attention training program, or a nonintervention control group. The benefits and limitations of the intervention program are…

This article reviews issues associated with the education of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It offers a definition of this population and compares practical classroom applications of commonsense attribution theory and information processing theory. It proposes a pragmatic learning theory that takes into account cognitive,…

Describes a study that examined sociocultural influences on the attributions for success and failure among four distance learners in Turkey. The influences of patronage and oral tradition are discussed, and implications for applying Western-based attribution theory to distance learners in developing countries with more traditional cultures are…

Attributional retraining--a therapeutic method of reinstating psychological control--of 198 Canadian college students through a videotaped lecture enabled external locus of control students to learn more and make better use of homework study materials but offered no advantage to internal locus students. Results are interpreted in a social…

Two studies investigated 4- to 7-year-olds' understanding that trait can be causal mechanisms based on desires or mere summaries of behavioral regularities. Results suggested that children change from viewing traits as behavioral regularities to understanding them as internal mediators and that advances in understanding desire underlie this…

Domain theorists' findings in Piaget's work in children's moral development do not contradict Piaget because they are predicted by objective responsibility; research has not established that children distinguish between moral and conventional events. Claims that Piaget underestimated early morality are based on research that neglects children's…