Motivational and performance deficits in interpersonal settings: The effect of attributional style.

Tested an attributional model of motivation and performance following failure. 63 college students were preselected on the basis of their attributional styles for interpersonal failures, as measured by the Attributional Style Assessment Test. Ss in the 2 preselected groups (character-style vs behavioral-style attributors) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental manipulations of attributions for failure at an interpersonal persuasion task: (a) no manipulation, (b) ability/trait manipulation (which parallels the character-style), or (c) strategy/effort manipulation (which parallels the behavior style). Subsequently, Ss engaged in a blood drive task over the telephone, trying to persuade other students to donate blood. Success expectancies, motivation, and actual performance were assessed. As predicted, Ss who made strategy-/effort-type attributions, whether by experimental manipulation or by preselection, expected more success, expected more improvement with practice, displayed higher levels of motivation, and performed better at the task than did Ss who made ability-/trait-type attributions. Implications for the treatment of such clinical symptoms as loneliness and depression are discussed. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative efficacy of self-reward, self-punishment, and self-monitoring techniques for weight loss.

Randomly assigned 48 female and 5 male obese adults to 5 groups: (a) self-reward, (b) self-punishment, (c) self-reward and self-punishment, (d) self-monitoring, and (e) information control. All Ss were given information on effective stimulus control techniques for weight loss. Self-monitoring Ss were asked to weigh in twice per week for 4 wks and to record their daily weight and eating habits. Self-reward and self-punishment Ss, in addition to receiving self-monitoring instructions, were asked to award or fine themselves a portion of their deposit contingent on changes in their weight and eating habits. After 4 wks of treatment, self-reward Ss lost significantly more weight than either self-monitoring or control Ss. At a 4-mo follow-up, Ss who had received self-reward instructions continued to show greater improvement than either the self-punishment or control Ss. Findings provide a preliminary indication that self-reward strategies are superior to self-punitive and self-recording strategies in the modification of at least some habit patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Naturally acquired learned helplessness: The relationship of school failure to achievement behavior, attributions, and self-concept.

Monitored personality and behavioral consequences of learned helplessness in children who had experienced extensive failure in school. Controlling for sex, race, age, and IQ, 3 groups of 20 9–12 yr old males (failing, average, and remedial) performed an experimental task and responded to questionnaires on self-concept and attributions for success and failure. To compare the predictive quality of learned helplessness theory with that of value expectancy theories, Ss were assigned to 1 of 2 reinforcement conditions (prediction of academic success and this prediction plus monetary reward) on a maze task. As predicted by value expectancy theories, failing Ss were significantly more persistent in the monetary reward condition than in the prediction of academic success condition. In agreement with learned helplessness theory, low self-concept was predicted independently and significantly by school failure, internal attributions for failure, and external attributions for success. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of physician-recommended treatment on mental health practitioners' attributions for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate whether differing treatment recommendations for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) by physicians influence attributions about CFS among mental health practitioners. Participants and Study Design: 93 mental health practitioners were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions. All groups read the same case study of a person diagnosed with CFS, with the only difference between groups being the type of treatment recommended by a physician. The treatment conditions included a drug trial (Ampligen) or 1 of 2 differing psychotherapy approaches, cognitive–behavior therapy with graded activity or cognitive coping skills therapy. Results: Ss in the 3 groups did not differ with respect to their prior familiarity with CFS. Ss who read the case study proposing treatment with Ampligen were more likely to report that the patient was correctly diagnosed and more likely to perceive the patient as disabled than those whose case study described cognitive–behavioral therapy with graded activity as the treatment. Conclusion: Results of this investigation support the hypothesis that physician recommendations for CFS treatment can influence subsequent attributions about a patient's illness among mental health practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions of learning disabled children.

Two studies compared learning disabled (LD) and normally achieving (NA) children's attribution patterns of success and failure in achievement and in social situations. In Study 1, 37 LD and 67 NA 7th and 8th graders were interviewed about attributions for hypothetical success–failure situations. 75 LD and 30 NA Ss (aged 9–17 yrs) from private schools were interviewed about attributions for real-life ratings of success in Study 2. NA Ss in both studies followed the expected pattern of attributing success more internally and failure (or less success) more externally. LD Ss attributed success to internal factors as well, but in both studies they also externalized success more than did the NA Ss. In their attributions for failure (or less success), the LD Ss in both studies did not follow the expected pattern. It is concluded that attributional differences between the LD Ss may reflect differences in self-esteem, expectations, and uncertainty. Careful reconsideration of the potentially negative consequences of attributional retraining of children with learning problems is recommended. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior change, weight loss, and physiological improvements in Type II diabetic patients.

53 obese 30–70 yr olds with Type 2 diabetes treated by diet only or oral medication were assigned to a behavior-modification, nutrition-education, or standard-care treatment condition to investigate whether behavior modification would improve short- and long-term results of weight control programs for Ss. The behavior-modification and nutrition-education groups met weekly for 16 wks and were given the same information on nutrition, exercise, and diabetes; however, strategies to change eating behavior were used in the behavior-modification condition. The standard-care condition was identical to the nutrition-education condition except that Ss met only 4 times over the 16-wk treatment period. Results indicate that behavior-modification Ss lost more weight than either the nutrition-education or standard-care Ss during the 16-wk treatment period. However, at 16-mo follow-up, differences in weight loss across treatment conditions were not significant. Physiological parameters and mood improved with initial weight loss, but these changes were not maintained. Physiological changes appeared more directly related to weight loss than to treatment condition. Changes in weight were related to improved eating and exercise habits, and modest weight losses of 4.6–23.6 kg produced significant improvements in blood-sugar control. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Failure to obtain sex differences in development of obesity following ventromedial hypothalamic lesions in rats.

Gave 24 male and 24 female albino Charles River rats either a high-fat or a ground-food diet following ventromedial hypothalamic or sham lesions. After 63 days on 1 diet, diets were reversed for 27 days. Over 63 days (a) lesioned Ss of both sexes showed a significant increase in weight over their controls, (b) Ss on high fat gained more weight than those on ground food, and (c) there was no difference between the sexes in weight gain. When diets were reversed, lesioned Ss now on ground food maintained about the same weight as before reversal, while Ss switched to the high-fat diet rapidly increased their body weight to a point near that of Ss originally on the high-fat diet. Data indicate that there is no sex difference in weight gain following ventromedial lesions. It is suggested that previously reported differences result from (a) insufficient periods of observation, (b) offering unpalatable diets, or (c) the use of random-bred strains which increases variability of animal size and lesion placement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Weight loss and maintenance and changes in diet and exercise for behavioral counseling and nutrition education.

100 out of 112 women who initially were at least 20 lb overweight, but did not weigh over 220 lb completed a 16-wk program of either behavioral counseling or nutrition education. Initial weight losses were similar for both groups, but behavioral Ss (BEs) consumed significantly fewer calories and changed more on 2 of 4 exercise measures than did nutrition education Ss (NEs). Reviews of daily eating records indicated that BEs more often used diets that were nutritionally unsound. The exercise changes in both conditions were modest and highly variable. Seven-month follow-up indicated that BEs maintained significantly more weight loss than did NEs. Interviews with 92 Ss indicated that regular monitoring of eating, an exercise routine, and problem solving were associated with maintenance. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of behavioral problem analysis versus instructional environment information on teachers' perceptions.

Compared 2 types of problem analysis information for their effects on 48 regular education teachers' problem attributions, ratings of acceptability, and preferences for intervention alternatives. Ss were given problem analysis vignettes containing either behavioral or instructional environment information after watching a videotape of a 2nd-grade girl exhibiting classroom behavior problems. Instructional environment information led to more problem attributions involving conditions in the classroom. Behavioral information led to more problem attributions concerning student characteristics and behavior and remote contextual variables. Ss in both informational conditions preferred instructional modification as a means of responding to the student's problems. Ratings of the intervention categories correlated significantly with Ss' problem attributions, perceptions of problem severity, and perceived likelihood for resolution in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maintenance strategies for the treatment of obesity: An evaluation of relapse prevention training and posttreatment contact by mail and telephone.

129 21–57 yr old moderately obese volunteers who averaged 57% over ideal weight were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 experimental conditions in a 3?×?2 factorial design. Three treatment conditions (nonbehavioral therapy, behavior therapy, or behavior therapy plus relapse prevention training) were crossed with 2 posttreatment conditions (posttreatment client–therapist contact by telephone and mail or no posttreatment contact). All treatments produced substantial initial weight losses, but Ss tended to regain weight during the follow-up period. Posttreatment client–therapist contact by mail and telephone significantly enhanced the maintenance of weight loss for groups that received nonbehavioral treatment or behavior therapy plus relapse prevention training, but it did not improve maintenance for groups that received behavior therapy only. At 12-mo follow-up, the only condition that maintained its mean posttreatment weight loss was the one that received behavior therapy plus relapse prevention training and posttreatment contact. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression and preference for self-focusing stimuli after success and failure.

Hypothesized that depressives, unlike nondepressives, do not find self-focus more aversive after failure than after success, and thus either (a) show no differential preference for self-focusing stimuli after success vs after failure (weak hypothesis) or (b) prefer self-focusing stimuli after failure over self-focusing stimuli after success (strong hypothesis). 36 female and 20 male undergraduate students, selected on the basis of their scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, were randomly assigned to outcome conditions in a 2?×?2 (nondepressed vs depressed?×?success vs failure) factorial design. Ss succeeded or failed on a supposed test of verbal intelligence and then worked on 2 sets of puzzles, 1 in the presence and 1 in the absence of a self-focusing stimulus (mirror). Results indicate that, whereas nondepressed Ss liked the mirror-associated puzzle more after success than after failure, depressed Ss did not; depressed Ss tended to like the mirror-associated puzzle more after failure than after success. Nondepressed Ss also exhibited a self-serving pattern of attributions, viewing the test as less valid and luck as more responsible for their performance after failure than after success; depressed Ss showed no such differences. Consistent with their failure to use defensive strategies, depressed Ss showed a decrease in self-esteem after failure; nondepressed Ss showed no such change. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex and ethnic differences in the use of power.

Hypothesized that women and Chicanos would make less internal and more external attributions for their own successful performance than would Anglo males. 40 Chicano male, 40 Chicano female, 40 Anglo male, and 40 Anglo female undergraduates participated as managers in an industrial simulation study. Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions: designated powers vs unspecified powers, and supervision of male or female workers. Following the managerial task, Ss completed a questionnaire assessing their own performance and that of their workers. All Anglos devalued their workers as a function of controlling power and attributed workers' performance to external factors. All Ss tended to use their power to persuade workers. Males attempted to influence workers to a greater degree than did females. The predicted sex differences in terms of attribution were evident only among Anglos. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

One-year behavioral treatment of obesity: Comparison of moderate and severe caloric restriction and the effects of weight maintenance therapy.

Compared the weight losses of 49 obese women (mean age 39.31 yrs) randomly assigned to a 52-wk behavioral program combined with either moderate or severe caloric restriction. Ss in the balanced deficit diet (BDD) condition were prescribed a 1,200-kcal/day diet throughout treatment, and those in the very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) condition were given a 420-kcal/day liquid diet for 16 wks and a 1,200-kcal/day diet thereafter. The VLCD Ss lost significantly more weight than the BDD Ss at all periods through Week 26, at which time mean losses were 21.45 and 11.86 kg, respectively. VLCD Ss, however, regained weight during the next 26 wks of weekly therapy and during a 26-wk weight maintenance program that provided biweekly meetings. Mean weight losses at the end of the maintenance program were 10.94 and 12.18 kg, respectively. Reports of binge eating declined in both groups, and no relationship was observed between binge eating and weight loss or attrition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributional biases among clinicians: A comparison of psychoanalysts and behavior therapists.

Assessed the attributional style of 30 psychoanalysts, 32 behavior therapists, and 78 nontherapist undergraduates by using a mail survey. Ss listed causal explanations for 3 hypothetical problems experienced by either themselves, their friends, or their clients. Results indicate that (a) psychoanalysts gave more dispositional explanations than situational explanations, whereas the reverse was true for behavior therapists and nontherapists; (b) psychoanalysts gave psychological explanations for problems hypothetically experienced by their friends or clients, but then gave physical explanations for the same problems hypothetically experienced by themselves; and (c) psychoanalysts holding medical degrees gave fewer psychological attributions and more physical attributions than behavior therapists or psychoanalysts with doctorate degrees. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of paradoxical and nonparadoxical interpretations and directives.

Explored the effects of consistent and inconsistent combinations of paradoxical and nonparadoxical interpretations and directives in brief counseling with 49 moderately depressed undergraduates. It was hypothesized that a consistent paradoxical intervention would be more effective than inconsistent interventions, which in turn would be more effective than a consistent nonparadoxical intervention. Ss who wanted to change were randomly assigned to 4 interview intervention conditions and a no-treatment control condition. In the intervention conditions, Ss received 2 interviews with counselors who gave 6 interpretations and 2 directives over the course of the interviews. Ss in the intervention conditions decreased their depression more than did Ss in the control condition. Paradoxical interpretations were associated with more symptom remission than were nonparadoxical interpretations, whereas the nature of the directives students received made little difference. Whether the interventions were consistent or inconsistent made little difference on changes in depression, but Ss had more favorable impressions of their counselors when interpretations and directives were consistent. The impact of the interventions on Ss' attributions of the cause of therapeutic change was also explored. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of student control and choice on engagement in a CAI arithmetic task in a low-income school.

To investigate choice in a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) arithmetic task, 38 4th and 5th graders from a low-income school were assigned to either a choice or a yoked control condition. The choice condition allowed selection of arithmetic problems, while the yoked condition allowed no choices. Choice Ss showed significantly more task engagement. There were 2 distinctive choice patterns, with some Ss consistently choosing the easiest problems and others the most difficult ones. Problem difficulty and engagement were linearly related for all choice subgroups, with engagement highest for the easiest problems and lowest for the most difficult. Choice and yoked Ss differed significantly on 3 behavioral locus of control dimensions (stable-unstable, internal-external, and self-other attributions). While choice may be motivating, for some children it can result in poor academic performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of a quinine-adulterated diet upon body weight maintenance in male rats with ventromedial hypothalamic lesions.

Reports results of 3 experiments with a total of 100 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Ss offered a quinine-adulterated diet after receiving either ventromedial hypothalamic or sham lesions displayed nearly identical periods of anorexia before maintaining their body weight at a stable but reduced level. When starved prior to surgery to a body weight below this reduced maintenance level, both ventromedial hypothalamic and control Ss displayed an initial period of rapid weight gain on the quinine-adulterated diet. When subsequently offered only this diet for an 8-wk period, both groups, after castration, maintained the same reduced level of body weight. It is concluded that ventromedial hypothalamic animals overeat and become obese on palatable diets but defend the same lower weight level as controls when challenged with unpalatable diets. Impairment of a mechanism setting the upper, but not the lower, weight limit is suggested to be responsible for the greatly expanded range of body weights generated in the ventromedial hypothalamic animal by manipulation of diet palatability. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internal attributions and types of depression in college students: The learned helplessness model revisited.

Tested the relation between attributions and types of depression (with and without low self-esteem) postulated by reformulated learned helplessness theory vs. an alternative (R. Janoff-Bulman; see record 1981-01320-001). 334 Ss completed the Beck Depression Inventory, Attributional Style Questionnaire, and Janis-Field Feelings of Inadequacy Scale. Scores above 8 on the Beck were considered depressed. A median split on the Janis-Field scale divided Ss into those with and without low self-esteem. Clearest support was found for Janoff-Bulman's formulations. Depressed Ss with low self-esteem made more internal characterological attributions for bad events than the other groups. Nondepressed Ss made more internal behavioral attributions than depressed Ss. The implications for counseling and future research on depression and learned helplessness are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)