Attributional Style

This paper analyzes the agreed and discrepant sensemaking of members of a project team. Embedded in a narratological approach to sensemaking research, we argue that before scholars may be able to  understand in detail how agreements are reached and action becomes coordinated, we need first to take seriously the proposition that sensemaking occurs in the context of individuals’ idiosyncratic efforts at identity construction. This, we suggest, means attending to the narratives that actors tell about their work and self both for others and their selves.  The key research contribution that we make is to demonstrate how work on ‘impression management’ and ‘attributional egotism’ may be employed in order to account for discrepant sensemaking. This is important in the context of a literature that has left relatively unexplored the reasons why people interpret differently experiences they have in common.

The reformulated model of learned helplessness has been evaluated largely with the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ). However, based on evidence presented in the literature, we have argued that the ASQ measures not three attributional dimensions (i.e., internality, globality. and stability), but two outcome factors and several events factors. Two published subscale correlation matrices were factor analyzed. In addition, ASQ data from 537 high school and college students were correlated. A third subscale matrix and three item correlation matrices were derived from these data and the factor analyses. All factor matrices were compared to hypothesized matrices. Our predictions were confirmed. It is argued that there may be little cross-situational consistency in attributional style.

Attribution theory provides the theoretical basis, for understanding, evaluating and interpreting social surroundings: The fundamental attribution error (Heider, 1958) and the actor-observer bias (Jones &Nisbett, 1971). The first refers to the general tendency to overestimate the qualities of internal factors relative to external ones, and the second to the tendency of actors to attribute their own actions to external factors, while observers tend to attribute the same actions to stable internal qualities of the actor.
The rhetoric of blame, or “blame game”, refers to the processes of attribution of responsibility that arise after a failure or crisis. In such a case, actors typically try to deflect their own part of responsibility, through e.g. the use of strategic frames.
The global downturn in the economy triggered processes of blame, particularly in the countries at the center of the financial crisis (Hart and Tindall 2009). Aim of this project is to employ attribution theory in order to explore how processes of attribution have affected framing contents within Greek crisis discourse.
The research questions guiding the research are:
(a) To what extend and to what effect are attributional cognitive biases integrated into the formulation of the framing contest?
(b) To what extend the employment of attributional cognitive biases during the parliamentary discussion is affected by factors like: party, speaker and subtopic of discussion?
Discourse analysis is employed in order to identify each observable case of attribution, dominant frame related organizing the statement and the attributional cognitive bias appear and consequently employing statistical analysis.

The majority of the attribution was made to internal factors of Greece (64%), while 23 % to external factors and 13% to Memorandum II itself.This overemphasis to internal factors, which contradicts to the theory (where in cases of failure or of negative outcome people tend to seek attribution to external factors) could be interpreted as an outcome of a party-driven strategic communication planning.If there is no strategic planning, this outcome shows that the party-identity outclasses the national-identity, where partisanship is more important than national interest.
The Government (PASOK, ND, PM Papadimos) gathers the majority of attributions (Inter-parliamentary problems (88,90%), destruction of the country (83,3%), political initiatives (100%) and terrorizing(100%).This shows a political discourse based on party-logic and a strong tension to deconstruct the two main parties (PASOK and ND).
Attacks have dominated the parliamentary discussion. All parties’ rhetoric shows strong preference to attacks, as a way of deconstructing the opponent.PASOK and ND have also used acclaims and defenses, the first for their political achievements regarding Memorandum II and the second as a way of protecting their identity and image from attacks. LAOS has used acclaims to elaborate on why the party left the governmental formation (since it was part of the government under PM Papadimos).Syriza and KKE showed an excessive use of attacks (Syriza: 100%, KKE 96,7%), in order to deconstruct the government and LAOS.PM Papadimos used mainly acclaims (52,9%), as a way of presenting Memorandum II as a good opportunity for Greece.

Theoretical models of panic disorder posit a unique role for external anxiety-related control attributions (i.e., lack of perceived control over the onset and maintenance of one's anxiety symptoms) in predicting panic reactivity, even beyond well-established cognitive risk factors such as anxiety sensitivity. The present study examined whether anxiety-related control attributions would uniquely predict a range of anxious responses across multiple phases and sessions of a biological stressor. Undergraduate students (N = 317) completed measures of anxiety-related control attributions and anxiety sensitivity prior to undergoing a 7.5 % carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) challenge. A subset of these participants (N = 102) returned 1 week later for a second administration. Self-reported subjective distress, physical panic symptoms, and panicrelated threat cognitions were measured at baseline and again during several phases of the challenge procedure. Physiological measures of heart rate, skin conductance, and respiration rate were also recorded throughout the challenge. Consistent with theoretical models, higher external control attributions uniquely predicted greater reactivity on all self-report indices across challenge phases and sessions; findings were more mixed for the physiological indices, with higher external control attributions predicting higher heart rate but lower skin conductance, and no prediction for respiration rate. Implications for theory and treatment of panic pathology are discussed.

Inclusive education is becoming a leading subject matter in creation of educational policies in developed countries, and teachers, who need to carry out the inclusive education in classrooms, teach children with various special educational needs, among them children with specific learning disabilities. These pupils, despite their average or above average intellectual abilities, are often experiencing school failure due to limitations caused by their specific learning problems. Teachers should have competences to organize and adjust immediate classroom surroundings, teaching strategies, monitoring and evaluation procedures based on strong characteristics / abilities of those pupils and opportunities to achieve success. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to offer a theoretical framework and overview of findings on necessary competences and knowledge teachers should have to encourage proactive patterns of causal attributions with important implications on ways they plan and realize their teaching activities. In that context, it is important to encourage teachers to recognize patterns of causal attributions that do not have a positive effect on the self-regulation of learning. An example is the defensive attributional pattern, which pupils may use to protect their self-esteem, or the depressive attributional pattern, often noticed in pupils with various learning disabilities. These patterns manifest themselves through emphasized external attributions of failure, stable internal attributions of failure and unstable external attributions of success, and may be a cause of learned helplessness. Teachers should be trained to recognize maladaptive patterns of causal attributions, to react on time, to work with pupils who exhibit maladaptive attributional style and to encourage effort-based proactive attributions. In such way, pupils would become aware that effort leads to success and that they could change the way they react to school failure, which would reduce negative consequences on their overall development.
Keywords: specific learning disabilities; beliefs about causes of success or failure; causal attribution patterns; adjustments; classroom environment

Inkluzivna edukacija postaje vodeća tema u kreiranju obrazovnih politika razvijenih zemalja, a učitelji kao nosioci inkluzivne edukacije poučavaju djecu s različitim odgojno-obrazovnim potrebama, među kojima su i djeca sa specifičnim teškoćama u učenju. Ovi se učenici, usprkos prosječnim ili iznadprosječnim intelektualnim sposobnostima, često suočavaju sa školskim neuspjehom radi ograničenja povezanih sa različitim specifičnim teškoćama.
Učitelji bi trebali imati kompetencije organizirati i prilagoditi neposredno razredno okruženje, strategije poučavanja, načine nadgledanja i evaluacije napretka koji su zasnovani na jakim stranama ovih učenika i mogućnostima za postizanje uspjeha.
Stoga je cilj ovog rada ponuditi teorijski okvir i prikaz spoznaja o potrebnim kompetencijama i znanjima učitelja o poticanju proaktivnih obrazaca kauzalnih atribucija koje imaju važne implikacije na način na koji bi učitelji trebali planirati i realizirati aktivnosti u nastavnom procesu. U tom kontekstu važno je potaknuti učitelje na prepoznavanje obrazaca kauzalnih atribucija koji ne djeluju poticajno na samoregulaciju učenja. Primjer takvog obrasca su obrambeni obrazac atribucija koji može poslužiti zaštiti samopoštovanja i depresivni obrazac atribucija koji je često prisutan kod učenika s različitim vrstama teškoća u učenju. Ti obrasci se očituju kroz naglašene vanjske atribucije neuspjeha, stabilne unutrašnje atribucije neuspjeha i nestabilne vanjske atribucije uspjeha koje mogu dovesti do stanja naučene bespomoćnosti.
Učitelje treba osposobiti za prepoznavanje neprikladnih obrazaca kauzalnih atribucija, pravovremeno reagiranje i rad s ovim učenicima koji su skloni neučinkovitom atribucijskom stilu s ciljem poticanja proaktivnih atribucija usmjerenih na trud. Na taj način učenici će osvijestiti da ulaganjem truda mogu postići uspjeh te da mogu promijeniti način na koji reagiraju pri suočavanju sa školskim neuspjehom što bi umanjilo nepoželjne posljedice po njihov cjelokupni razvoj. Ključne riječi: specifične teškoće u učenju; uvjerenja o uzrocima uspjeha i neuspjeha; obrasci kauzalnih atribucija; prilagodbe; razredno okruženje

This article analyses the agreed and discrepant sensemaking of members of a project team. Embedded in a narratological approach to sensemaking research, we argue that before scholars may be able to understand in detail how agreements are reached and action becomes coordinated, we need first to take seriously the proposition that sensemaking occurs in the context of individuals' idiosyncratic efforts at identity construction. This, we suggest, means attending to the narratives that actors tell about their work and self both for others and their selves. The key research contribution that we make is to demonstrate how work on 'impression management' and 'attributional egotism' may be employed in order to account for discrepant sensemaking. This is important in the context of a literature that has left relatively unexplored the reasons why people interpret differently experiences they have in common. K E Y WO R D S attributional egotism computer game development discourse impression management narrative sensemaking 1 0 3 5 Human Relations

This article analyses the agreed and discrepant sensemaking of members of a project team. Embedded in a narratological approach to sensemaking research, we argue that before scholars may be able to understand in detail how agreements are reached and action becomes coordinated, we need first to take seriously the proposition that sensemaking occurs in the context of individuals' idiosyncratic efforts at identity construction. This, we suggest, means attending to the narratives that actors tell about their work and self both for others and their selves. The key research contribution that we make is to demonstrate how work on 'impression management' and 'attributional egotism' may be employed in order to account for discrepant sensemaking. This is important in the context of a literature that has left relatively unexplored the reasons why people interpret differently experiences they have in common. K E Y WO R D S attributional egotism computer game development discourse impression management narrative sensemaking 1 0 3 5 Human Relations

This paper considers current research into how thinking influences learning. How a person explains why he or she fails and succeeds inevitably impacts how well one learns a new skill. Researchers have been developing attribution retraining programs targeted at improving student academic achievement and learning experience through the promotion of positive thinking. These findings can typically be found in scientific psychological journals far removed from the educational practitioners and learning environments they attempt to impact. This paper introduces the educational practitioner to the principles underlying attribution theory.  The potential benefits of incorporating attribution retraining programs into the school curriculum are then outlined and the future of the field for both researchers and educational psychologists alike is discussed.