Attribution retraining

Overview

Attribution retraining after failure, internal attributions for success, effort after defeat, short-term external attributions, goal setting and feedback, learned helplessness, the young swimmer, mastery orientation and planning practice.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is attribution retraining?

   Model answer

   Attribution retraining changes the reasons a performer gives for failure. The aim is to replace harmful attributions with ones that encourage persistence.

2. 2

   Why is attribution retraining needed?

   Model answer

   Performers who blame failure on internal, stable causes lose motivation and may give up. Attribution retraining can protect their confidence and effort.

3. 3

   Towards which causes should a coach steer a performer after a failure?

   Model answer

   The coach should steer the performer towards unstable, controllable causes such as effort or tactics. The performer then believes the result can change.

4. 4

   Why should a coach encourage internal attributions for success?

   Model answer

   Internal attributions such as ability and effort give the performer credit. Pride and confidence rise, and so does motivation.

5. 5

   Why is effort the most useful attribution after a defeat?

   Model answer

   Effort is unstable and controllable, so the performer can change it next time. The performer stays motivated to train harder.

6. 6

   Why can external attributions for failure be useful in the short term?

   Model answer

   External attributions such as luck protect self-esteem after a defeat. Overused, external attributions stop the performer taking responsibility.

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