According to attribution theory, which statement best characterizes how attributions affect motivation after success or failure?

According to attribution theory, which statement best characterizes how attributions affect motivation after success or failure?

• A. Attributing success to effort decreases persistence
• B. Attributing success to luck increases motivation
• C. Attributing outcomes to external uncontrollable factors always increases motivation
• D. Attributing success to luck or lack of control can reduce persistence

Answer: (D)

Attribution theory explains how the reasons we give for outcomes shape our motivation and how hard we try in the future. Causes can be internal or external and controllable or uncontrollable, and these judgments influence whether we believe we can influence what happens next. If success is credited to luck or factors outside one’s control, people often feel they didn’t actually contribute to the outcome and that future results aren’t strongly tied to their own actions, which lowers motivation and persistence. This is why attributing success to luck or lack of control can reduce persistence after success or failure. In contrast, blaming effort or other controllable factors tends to boost motivation because it signals that one’s actions can influence future results.

Attribution theory explains how the reasons we give for outcomes shape our motivation and how hard we try in the future. Causes can be internal or external and controllable or uncontrollable, and these judgments influence whether we believe we can influence what happens next. If success is credited to luck or factors outside one’s control, people often feel they didn’t actually contribute to the outcome and that future results aren’t strongly tied to their own actions, which lowers motivation and persistence. This is why attributing success to luck or lack of control can reduce persistence after success or failure. In contrast, blaming effort or other controllable factors tends to boost motivation because it signals that one’s actions can influence future results.