The role of causal attributions in determining behavioral consequences: A meta-analysis from an intrapersonal attributional perspective in achievement contexts.

Abstract

A large body of research has documented Weiner's theory as it applies to achievement contexts, highlighting the role of the causal dimensions (locus of causality, stability, and controllability) as antecedents of specific emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. The aim of this article is to address important, and as yet unanswered questions, by focusing on the relationship between these causal dimensions and their cognitive and behavioral consequences, and by meta-analyzing research using the direct-rating method to measure the causal dimensions identified by Weiner (1985, 2005). 43 studies using direct-rating measures of causal dimensions, reporting 57 correlation matrices involving 15,213 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Using meta-analytic structural equation modeling, the fit of the cognition-expectancy-action sequence of Weiner's model, its structural parameters and between-sample variations were examined. Our model fitted the data well, and the structural parameters showed that the causal dimensions influenced behavioral adjustment and performance through psychological consequences. The results also revealed large effect size heterogeneity across studies, explained by several moderators such as event valence. To conclude, the results support the cognition-expectancy- action sequence proposed by Weiner's attributional theory. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).