Psy 331 psychology of learning wk3-a

Attribution Theory and Performance

Prior to beginning this assignment, be sure to read Chapter 4: Cognition, Learning, and the Environment, and read the article “Extending Attribution Theory: Considering Students’ Perceived Control of the Attribution Process”, the Instructor Guidance, and view the following website The Critical Thinking Community (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.criticalthinking.org/).

For this written assignment, you will demonstrate your understanding  of attribution theory. In essence, attribution theory states that  individuals tend to make sense of (logically prescribe) situations by  associating them to self, others, thoughts, feelings, or actions. This  theory suggests that learners should consider why they do what they do,  and what or who they are giving credit for both the victories and the  failures. Further, this theory suggests that if a person believes that  they are not good at something, they may attribute their unsuccessful  outcomes to external factors, rather than to themselves. In contrast, if  individuals have success, they more often may attribute their successes  to internal factors.

Using your required resources to support, discuss the following:

• Describe a time where you feel you have failed and blamed someone  else: the teacher, the friend, a loved one. (Failure could be academic,  relational, and/or organizational – loss of a job.)
• Do you believe that you blamed external things to support a more  stable version of your own self-image? (In other words, it could not be  your mistake). If not, what other reasons might external variables be  attributed for our own performance?
• How do think stability and controllability affect performance attributions, based on our reading this week?
• Why do you think that self-efficacy plays such a critical role in how we process our learning behaviors?
• What strategies could be applied to utilize what we know about  self-perception and attributions to increase your learning performance  in the future? (Minimum of two strategies.)

Suggested template.

The Attribution Theory paper

• Must  formatted according to APA style as  outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a separate title page with the following: 
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use headings and sub-headings. See example. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. 
• Must use appropriate research methods (e.g. use of the Ashford  library) and skeptical inquiry (http://www.criticalthinking.org/) to  support the content inclusions.
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis  statement. Visit the Ashford writing Center to clarify how to create a  strong thesis statement and what it helps you to accomplish. You may  also use the Thesis Generator (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. 
• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought. For  assistance with the critical thinking portion of the written assignment,  please see the information included on the Critical Thinking Community website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis. The  conclusion typically has two parts: the summary statement (one or two  sentences that restate the thesis in a fresh way to reinforce the  essay’s main idea) and the clincher (a final thought that creates a  lasting impression for the reader).
• Must use at least one scholarly source from the Ashford University Library, in addition to the required e-book.
• Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according  to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. If you are  unsure how to create an APA style reference page, please visit the  Citation and Reference page on the Ashford Writing Center website.