Reviews the attribution literature on sex differences in academic achievement, especially in mathematics. Suggests that: (1) there are small sex differences in the importance attached to effort and ability as causes of mathematics success and failure; and (2) attributions are not as significant as other possible causes in mediating course…

Experiments with fifth grade, tenth grade, and college students showed that, while students believe that teachers and they themselves appreciate effort more than ability, they actually would rather be perceived as having ability than as exerting effort. Fifth graders reacted more favorably to effort exertion than did the older groups. (Author/GC)

Examines Jones's and Nisbett's (1971, 1972) hypothesis that people generally attribute the actions of others to stable trait dispositions but see their own behavior as relatively more influenced by specific environmental circumstances. Discusses methodological problems in studies examining this hypothesis, suggesting ways they might be overcome.…

Studied competing process models of counselors' clinical judgment for their capacity to account for variance in prognostic judgments and further tested for parsimony. Patton discusses problems of logic and data analysis in the model's formulation. Provides Stromer's response to the critique. (RC)

Attitudinal and attributional variables relating to the election of mathematics courses by females and males are identified. A small set of variables explaining the variance in female and male mathematical plans was found. These results may help in understanding why larger proportions of males than females elect mathematics. (Author/GK)

Assessed reliability and validity for an instrument designed to assess depressiform cognitions. The results suggest that the scale is promising, however, a strong sex effect was noted in some of the characteristics of attribution. Suggests the need to evaluate sexual-cultural differences in attributional processes associated with depression.…

Explores the cognitive processes that can lead social workers to make erroneous judgements about clients, and inappropriate practice decisions. Similarities between the assessment and practice methods advocated underscore the notion of practice as a process of systematic exploration and problem solving. (Author/JAC)

The effects of cooperative and competitive reward structures on children's attributions and effective reactions to success and failure were examined. Results showed that competitive contingencies accentuated the differences in self-other perceptions and cooperative contingencies minimized these differences. (Author/GK)

Following a mathematics test, 134 sixth-graders from different social class/national origin groups, were asked to attribute causality for their success or failure. All groups tended to attribute success more to internal than external causes and more to stable than unstable causes. Attributions of failure varied between the groups. (Author/SJL)

Fifth-grade boys of relatively good, average, and poor reading ability were assessed on tasks in which success and failure were manipulated. Consistent with predictions, poor readers displayed characteristics indicative of learned helplessness and low self-concepts of ability, including low expectations and less persistence. (Instructional…

An achievement situation describing two children successfully and unsuccessfully performing task in competitive, cooperative, and individualistic reward structures was presented to 400 children across five grade levels. Results showed that different evaluative beliefs about the concepts of ability and reward allocation were associated with each…

While evaluation condition (teacher, self, peer-comparison) on anagram task performance and continuing motivation (CM) among Iranian fifth graders appeared to make little difference in the case of performance, its effect on CM was significant--results were remarkably similar to those obtained with U.S. samples. (RC)

Attempts to evaluate several sources of information found in students' cumulative folders on teachers' expectancy sets. Types of information included for evaluation consisted of the child's degree of attractiveness, ability, sex, and family background. (Author/RK)

Examined whether clients who perceived their counselors as holding etiology attributions similar to their own would rate their counselors' credibility higher than clients who saw their counselors as holding dissimilar attributions. Results indicate that clients in the similarity of etiology attribution condition did rate their counselors as more…

Discusses findings of a cross-cultural study of the relation between self-perception of academic competence and achievement, and attribution of achievement to effort or ability. Considers problems in fitting Anglo-American motivation theory with Russian schooling practice. Calls for culturally sensitive, multimethod approaches in which individual…