Effects of self-esteem, perceived performance, and choice on causal attributions.

Abstract

135 undergraduates attributed causality for performance in a dot-estimation task to internal and external causal sources. Ss were found to attribute significantly more causality to internal sources for success outcomes than for failure outcomes, supporting a self-esteem enhancement prediction. Low-self-esteem Ss who received failure feedback attributed significantly more causality to internal causal sources than did high-self-esteem Ss, who received failure feedback, thus supporting a self-esteem consistency prediction for low-self-esteem Ss. The prediction of a positive relationship between degree of choice in engaging in the task and internal attribution of causality was not supported. A significant Self-Esteem * Perceived Performance interaction is discussed, as is an unexpected relationship between internal-external control and self-esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)