Causal Dimension Scale Research Articles

Examining the Influence of Team-Referent Causal Attributions and Team Performance on Collective Efficacy

This study examined the relationship between team-referent attributions, team performance, and collective efficacy beliefs in recreational sport teams. A total of 248 recreational volleyball players from 45 different coed teams participated in the study. Participants completed a subjective performance measure and the Causal Dimension Scale for Teams directly following a match and then completed the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sports prior to their subsequent game. Using hierarchical linear modeling, it was found that both objective and subjective measures of performance positively predicted collective efficacy at the team level. In addition, stability negatively predicted collective efficacy beliefs; however, this relationship was moderated by objective performance.

Abordagens ao estudo, rendimento académico e atribuições causais do desempenho em estudantes do ensino superior

Com o objectivo de contribuir para o estudo do rendimento académico no ensino superior e tendo como quadro de referência os trabalhos de Entwistle (1997) e de McAuley, Duncan e Russell (1992), procurámos esclarecer as relações entre as abordagens ao estudo, as atribuições causais, o rendimento académico e a percepção subjectiva do rendimento académico. Os dados foram recolhidos junto de 558 alunos, pertencentes a seis instituições de ensino superior e as medidas utilizadas foram a Causal Dimension Scale II (McAuley, Duncan & Russel, 1992), o inventário Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (Entwistle, 1997), tendo sido construído, para o rendimento académico, um indicador com base nas classificações obtidas. Procedimentos de modelação por equações estruturais permitiram concluir que as abordagens ao estudo constituem o factor mais importante do rendimento académico dos alunos, observando-se, igualmente, uma forte relação entre as abordagens ao estudo e as atribuições causais.

Do member attributions for team outcomes represent a collective belief?

Objectives The main purpose of the study was to examine the degree to which member attributions for team outcomes reflect a shared belief. A secondary purpose was to determine if outcome (i.e., win/loss) served to moderate the degree to which shared beliefs were present in team member attributions. Design Cross-sectional survey. Method Participants ( N=246) from 26 male and female intercollegiate basketball and volleyball teams completed the Causal Dimension Scale for Teams (CDS-T; [Greenlees, I. A., Lane, A., Thelwell, R. C., Holder, T. P., & Hobson, G. (2005). Confirmatory factor analysis and construct validity of a team-referent attribution scale. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76, 477–487]). The CDS-T is comprised of 16 items that assess four dimensions: locus of causality, stability, team control, and external control. Results Three statistical protocols were used to examine consensus: the index of agreement, the intraclass correlation coefficient, and eta-squared. Results showed index of agreement values were high ( r wg=0.71–0.92). Also, intraclass correlations were significant ( p<0.05) in all instances. However, four of the eta-squared values failed to reach the established criterion of η 2 =0.20. Match outcome did not have an influence on the index of agreement values (Wilks lambda F(4,21)=1.50, p>0.05, η p 2 = 0.22 ). Conclusions The results of the present study provide empirical support that team-referent attributions reflect a collective belief.

Main and interactive effects of attribution dimensions on efficacy expectations in sport

In this study, I examined the main and interactive effects of attribution dimensions on efficacy expectations in sport. A sample of 162 athletes (102 males, 60 females) aged 20.9 years (s = 3.4) from various sports were recruited. The participants, who were of club to international standard, completed the Causal Dimension Scale II (McAuley et al., 1992) in relation to their most recent performance. They then completed a 7-item measure of efficacy expectations in relation to their upcoming performance. The key predictors of efficacy expectations were stability and personal control, but their function differed after more or less successful performances. After more successful performances, attributions to stability and personal control were associated with main effects upon efficacy expectations, in a positive direction; after less successful performances, attributions to stability and personal control were associated with an interactive effect upon efficacy expectations. The form of this effect was such that the participants were more likely to have high efficacy expectations only when they viewed the cause of their performances as both personally controllable and stable.

The impact of match importance and gender on the team-serving attributional bias among interdependent sports team players.

This study examined the team-serving attributional bias (TSAB), and moderators of this bias, in sports team players. The authors predicted that, in line with a motivational explanation for TSABs, members of successful teams would make more internal, stable, and controllable attributions than would members of unsuccessful teams, but only after an important match. The authors also examined the impact of gender. After a competitive match, 528 athletes completed a Causal Dimension Scale for Teams and measures of perceived success and match importance. A series of hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that perceptions of success were positively associated with stable, internal, and externally controllable attributions. The authors also found that stability attributions were moderated by gender and match importance, with perceptions of success being positively associated with stable attributions for males regardless of match importance but positively associated with stable attributions only for those females who perceived the match to be important. The results, therefore, provide support for the use of TSABs within sports teams but also indicate that their use may be moderated by gender and match importance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)

The effects of self-handicapping on attributions and perceived judo competence

The aim of this study was to examine hypotheses derived from Jones and Berglas's (1978) self-handicapping model. It was hypothesized that individuals using many self-handicaps would use more internal attributions and report greater gains in perceived judo ability following success than individuals using few self-handicaps. In addition, it was hypothesized that individuals using many self-handicaps would use more external attributions and report less reduction in perceived judo ability following failure. Fifty-three judo players completed measures of trait self-handicapping, situational self-handicapping and a measure of perceived judo ability before competition. Following competition, the participants completed the Causal Dimension Scale II and the measure of perceived judo ability for a second time. Analyses of variance revealed that high self-handicappers attributed failure to more external factors than low self-handicappers. It was also found that high self-handicappers reported less of a reduction in perceived judo ability following failure than low self-handicappers. The findings therefore provide support for the potential short-term benefits of self-handicapping in sport, although further research is required to examine the long-term implications of using self-handicaps.

Team-Referent Attributions Among Sport Performers

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a team-referent attribution scale. Conducted over three studies, Study 1 modified items from McAuley, Duncan, and Russell's (1992) Causal Dimension Scale II by rewording items to reflect team attributions and adding one item per factor. This led to the development of a 16-item scale (Causal Dimension Scale-T, CDS-T). Study 2 tested competing models of attribution theory among a sample of 433 team sport players. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated strongest support for a four-factor model (robust comparative fit index = .961; root mean squared error of approximation = .054). Study 3 tested the predictive validity of the scale among a sample of 201 team players. Results indicated that winners reported more internal and stable attributions than losers. Further, performances perceived as successful were associated with stable attributions. The results of the study, therefore, suggest that the CDS-T provides a valid measure of team-referent attributions in sport.

In Search of Underlying Dimensions: The Use (and Abuse) of Factor Analysis in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

An examination of the use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis by researchers publishing in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin over the previous 5 years is presented, along with a review of recommended methods based on the recent statistical literature. In the case of exploratory factor analysis, an examination and recommendations concerning factor extraction procedures, sample size, number of measured variables, determining the number of factors to extract, factor rotation, and the creation of factor scores are presented. These issues are illustrated via an exploratory factor analysis of data from the University of California, Los Angeles, Loneliness Scale. In the case of confirmatory factor analysis, an examination and recommendations concerning model estimation, evaluating model fit, sample size, the effects of non-normality of the data, and missing data are presented. These issues are illustrated via a confirmatory factor analysis of data from the Revised Causal Dimension Scale.

Evaluating the Factorial Structure of the Revised Causal Dimension Scale in Adolescents

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image sizeKey Words: attributionsmeasurementmotivation

Impostor fears and perfectionistic concern over mistakes

Abstract Impostors are outwardly successful individuals who experience secret intense feelings of fraudulence in achievement situations. Elements of perfectionism are evident in a tendency on the part of impostors to maintain high standards for personal evaluation while being critical of their inability to realise these standards. This study utilised a 2 (impostor status: high, low)×2 (task type: high vs. low frequency of mistakes) between-subjects factorial design to investigate the connection between impostor fears and perfectionistic concern over mistakes. Sixty undergraduate students completed either a high or low frequency of mistake Stroop Colour-Word task, following which they completed items assessing perceptions of their performance, concern over mistakes, perceptions of control and anxiety, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the Russell Causal Dimension Scale. Links with perfectionistic concern over mistakes and anxiety were strongly supported, with impostors reporting less control, greater anxiety, more negative affect and greater concern over mistakes than non-impostors irrespective of experimental condition. The roles of anxiety and perfectionist cognitions in the maintenance of impostor fears are discussed.

Attributions for recovery and adherence to rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A prospective analysis

The relationship between causal attributions for recovery and adherence was examined in a sample of 80 individuals (25 females and 55 males) undergoing rehabilitation following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Participants estimated their speed of recovery and then rated their open-ended attributions for recovery on the Revised Causal Dimension Scale (McAuley, Duncan and Russell, 1992). Adherence was assessed in terms of attendance at rehabilitation sessions and practitioner ratings for the remainder of the rehabilitation period. Participants who perceived themselves as recovering rapidly attributed their recovery to more stable and personally controllable factors than participants who perceived themselves as recovering slowly. Causal dimension ratings predicted attendance at rehabilitation sessions, but not practitioner ratings of adherence. The results, which further demonstrate the relevance of causal attributions to health behavior, are compared with previous cross-sectional findings.

Factors Influencing College Students’ Self-Perceptions of Competence in Beginning Physical Education Classes

This study examined how college-age students in beginning activity classes construct their self-perceptions of physical competence. Each class was videotaped, one class per week. During the last week of class, a perceived competence instrument was administered to the students (N = 50) and the teachers. Results indicated 50% of the students’ perceptions of their competence were congruent with the teachers’; 50% were incongruent (32% higher, 18% lower). The Revised Causal Dimension Scale, also administered at the end of the semester, indicated the predominant attribution was effort. Interviews revealed group characteristics regarding attribution for success, interpretation of feedback, and use of social comparison. Videotape analysis using the Dyadic Adaptation of CAFIAS indicated some differential treatment occurred; students whose perceptions of competence were lower than their instructor’s received more corrective feedback. It was concluded that the students interpreted themselves in the instructional context which accounted for their self-perceptions of competence; the teacher expectation effect played a role as well.

Effects of the label "schizophrenia" on causal attributions of violence.

We investigated the relation between the label of "schizophrenia" and causal attributions of violence. Undergraduates read 1 of 10 scenarios in which two variables were manipulated: a psychiatric label and environmental stress. The scenario described an employee who acted violently toward his boss. Subjects made causal attributions for the employee's behavior by completing an adapted version of the Causal Dimension Scale II. Subjects also completed a questionnaire designed to explore several issues concerning the effects of the schizophrenia label on perceptions of behavior. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, the schizophrenia label did not lead subjects to make significantly more personality causal attributions for violent behavior. With increasing environmental stress, subjects did make significantly fewer personality attributions. A follow-up study using practicing clinicians as subjects yielded similar findings. The results of these studies are discussed in light of perceived stereotypes of persons with schizophrenia and conceptual issues in attribution research.

A Social-Cognitive Investigation into the Mechanisms of Affect Generation in Children’s Physical Activity

This study examined how achievement goal orientations, perceived sport competence, perceptions of success, and perceived outcome attributions affect children’s exercise-induced feeling states following physical exercise. The construct validity of the Exercise-Induced Feeling Inventory and a modification of the Causal Dimension Scale II for children was also investigated. Children (N = 304) responded to measures on the above scales. Task orientation, perceived success, and an ego orientation, combined with high perceptions of sport competence, were positive predictors of states of positive engagement, revitalization, and tranquillity; only task orientation was a negative predictor of physical exhaustion. The locus of causality dimension appeared to mediate the impact of perceptions of success on positive engagement, but with a negligible effect. The results were consistent with previous findings highlighting the motivational advantage of adopting a task orientation in physical achievement situations and demonstrated the role of task orientation as a determinant of affect in exercise testing in children.

Ethnicity, Gender, and Experience Effects on Attributional Dimensions

In sport psychology, there is a need for ethnic and gender attribution research (Allison, 1988; Duda &amp; Allison, 1989, 1990; Gill, 1993). This study examined effects of (a) ethnicity (African American, Anglo, Hispanic, Native American); (b) gender; and (c) years of track experience on causal attributional dimensions (locus of causality, stability, controllability). The 755 track athletes (ages 13—18) in this study were chosen from 32 randomly selected high schools. Two 3-way MANOVAs were used to analyze data for success and failure. Results indicated that gender and experience had no significant effects on attributional dimensions. Athletes classified causality toward internal, controllable, and unstable ends of the Causal Dimension Scale. Success, however, was perceived to be more internal, controllable, and stable than failure. Significant ethnic differences were identified. Anglos perceived success as more internal and controllable than did either African Americans or Native Americans. Anglos perceived failure as more controllable than African Americans did. Anglos perceived failure as more internal and controllable, but less stable than Native Americans did.

The effects of perceived attributions, action control, and creativity on college students' motivation and performance: A field study

College students periodically experience varying degrees of academic failure in pursuit of their educational goals. Such experiences can have deleterious effects on subsequent motivation and achievement. Recent research, however, indicates that some students are buffered against negative academic outcomes because they possess certain cognitive orientations or individual differences. Extending this research, the present study examined the buffering effects of students' perceived attributions for failure (unstable, stable), action control orientations (state, action), and creativity (low, high) on motivation and achievement. College students were grouped into unstable/stable attributions, state/action orientations, and low/high creativity according to their scores on Russell's (1982) causal dimension scale, Kuhl's (1985) action control scale, and two creativity items, respectively. Subsequently, three motivation variables were examined, along with their actual course grade in introductory psychology. Analysis of variance results indicated that unstable attributions produced greater motivation in students than did stable attributions. Moreover, stability attributions interacted with creativity and action control orientation on students' performance.

Impact of waiting attribution and consumer's mood on perceived quality

Waiting involves both emotions and cognition, in particular attribution of the cause for waiting. How do emotions impact on the attribution process? Do emotions and attribution impact on perceived service quality? The present study focuses on these rather new questions through the employment of videos simulating waiting lines in a bank. Subjects' mood was manipulated by two (sad-vs.-happy) television videos before subjects were exposed to the waiting video. Subjects were administered a three part questionnaire: Servqual (to assess perceived service quality in the bank); the Russell's Causal Dimension Scale to assess the three dimensions of Weiner's attribution of waiting time; the Mehrabian-Russell's questionnaire on mood (pleasure-arousal-dominance). A structural equation model was built. Mood affects some dimensions of service quality, those related to the personnel in contact; attribution affects the relational dimensions of service quality (personnel's empathy and assurance); mood does not affect the attribution process. Service quality is assessed not only in terms of what consumers receive at the end of the service delivery process but also in terms of the process itself.

The revised Causal Dimension Scale: a confirmatory factor analysis with Hong Kong students

The Causal Dimension Scale II (CDS II) is a conceptually important instrument for attribution research as it taps directly the subjects' own views of the dimensions underlying their causal ascriptions. However, this research based on the responses of 167 Hong Kong tertiary students to the CDS II indicates that the internal consistency reliability of the External Control scale is of doubtful adequacy and that the best fitting model combines the Locus and Personal Control scales. It is suggested that this latter finding may be due to cultural differences in causal attributions rather than a failing of the CDS II itself.

Causal Attributions, Depression, and Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder in Victims of Crime

The major purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between causal attributions and symptomatology in victims of crime. Fifty‐one subjects who had not been crime victims and 120 subjects who had been crime victims participated in the study and were assessed for symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Subjects also completed two attributional questionnaires. The potential differences in symptomatology among victims of a single crime, multiple crimes, and nonvictims were investigated. Results did not indicate differences in depression and PTSD based on single vs. multiple victimization, although differences between victims and nonvictims were found. Results using the Causal Dimension Scale (CDS; Peterson et al., 1982) indicated significant differences in the causal attributions of victims and nonvictims. On the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ; Russell, 1982), group comparisons among nonvictims, PTSD victims, depression victims, both depression and PTSD victims, and victims with low symptoms did not yield significant results. However, regression analyses indicated that several subscales of both the CDS and ASQ were found to be moderate predictors of symptomatology. Implications for future research are discussed.

Effect of General Self-Efficacy Expectancies on Performance Attributions

Self-efficacy is usually conceived of as specific to a situation; however, it has been proposed that self-efficacy across the individual's entire history of achievement experiences contributes to a general set of expectations of competence—general self-efficacy expectancy. Shelton suggested in 1990 that high general self-efficacy expectancy is the product of a history of more self-attributed successes than failures. Because attributions made for causes of performance can be biased by expectations, it is suggested here that level of general self-efficacy, as an expectation of personal competence, may be conserved through the attributionsl process. In a 2 × 2 group experimental design, 60 subjects received nonveridical feedback of either success or failure for a computer-generated response-latency task and then rated attributions for the cause of their performance against the Causal Dimension Scale, providing data for attributions on three dimensions. Perceived performance influenced attributions for both forms of self-efficacy, indicating that a self-serving bias operated in the attributional process to maintain high self-efficacy. The results confirm the basic assumption that there is a substantial, positive relationship between general and specific self-efficacy and shed some light on the processes of forming such judgments.