大学生学业成就与人际关系成败归因的特点研究

Weiner的研究表明,人们对成功和失败有不同的归因倾向,成功时更多地归因于能力、努力等内部原因,失败时更多地归因于任务难度、运气等外部原因。继Weiner之后,西方学者在成就范围内对成败归因进行广泛探索,研究表明,学生不仅对成功和失败有不同的归因倾向,而且成败归因在不同年级、不同性别上也存在差异。我国大学生的成败归因特点与西方是否一致?国内的相关研究较少。而且,归因理论的研究大量集中于成就归因范围,人际交往范围内的归因研究就更少。为此,本研究采用MMCS归因量表,对我国大学生学业成就和人际关系成败归因的特点进行探讨。     

大学生学业成败归因特点与自尊的关系

为考察大学生学业成败归因与内隐自尊、外显自尊间的关系,对74名大学生进行内隐联想测验(IAT),并要求其完成Rosenberg自尊量表(SES)及学业成败归因量表(MMCS).统计分析表明: (1)内隐自尊与外显自尊相关不显著; (2)当学业成功时,内隐自尊水平高的大学生倾向于将成功归为自己的能力,而外显自尊水平高的大学生倾向于将成功归为努力、情境和运气; (3)当学业失败时,内隐自尊水平高的大学生倾向于将失败归于情境,而内隐自尊水平低的大学生倾向于将失败归为个人能力不足;同时外显自尊水平高的大学生倾向于将失败归为情境和运气,而外显自尊水平低的大学生更倾向于将失败归为个人努力不够.     

股民股票投资成败归因内容与特征的研究

运用开放式问卷,调查了股民股票投资成败的归因内容,并分别对成功与失败归因的内容及不同特征股民的成败归因内容进行了比较。研究结果表明：股民股票投资成败归因的主要内容是能力、果断、信息、政策等十三项;对于成功和失败,股民所作的能力、果断、政策、运气等九项归因有显著差异;文化程度、股龄及户别,分别对十三项归因中的部分归因有显著影响,这显示了不同特征股民各自的归因特点。     

不同归因取向的表扬对儿童失败后的影响效应

以103名小学五年级的儿童为被试,考察不同归因取向的表扬对儿童遭遇失败后的影响效应。结果发现：（1）接受能力取向表扬的儿童在遭遇失败后表现出无助取向的反应模式,接受努力取向表扬的儿童表现出掌握取向的反应模式;（2）接受能力取向表扬的儿童倾向于采取防御性的失败归因策略,将失败更多地归因于测试焦虑,但其对能力因素的归因仍高于努力组和控制组,接受努力取向表扬的儿童更多地将失败归因于努力因素;（3）接受能力取向表扬的儿童表现出自我设限倾向,他们报告更多的测试焦虑,并缩短后测的做题时间和更低的后测成绩。     

初中生师生关系、归因方式、成就目标定向与学业成绩的关系

研究采用问卷法考察初中生师生关系、归因方式、成就目标定向与学业成绩的关系。结果表明:(1)高学绩组学生的师生关系、成就目标定向水平均显著优于低学绩组学生;高成就目标定向组学生的师生关系显著优于低分组学生;(2)在学业归因方面,师生关系高分组学生更倾向于将学业成功归为努力这一内部因素,而低分组学生则更倾向于将学业失败归为外部因素;在人际归因方面,高分组学生倾向于对成功做双重归因,而低分组学生则更易于对成败做外部归因;(3)掌握目标定向、学业成绩及人际内控对师生关系具有显著正向预测作用;学业外控对师生关系和掌握目标定向具有显著负向预测作用。掌握目标定向通过学业成绩显著影响师生关系。     

社会距离对成败行为性别归因偏差的影响

在陌生人和熟人两种社会距离下,让被试对同、异性成败行为进行归因,考查性别归因偏差现象(对异性美化、对同性贬损的归因)在社会距离上的变化。结果发现:(1)对于成功行为:被试对陌生异性做出的美化归因(能力-运气)显著高于陌生同性,出现性别归因偏差;被试对同、异性好友做出的美化归因差异不显著。(2)对于失败行为:被试对陌生同、异性做出的美化归因(运气-能力)差异不显著;被试对异性好友做出的美化归因显著高于同性,出现性别归因偏差。结论:性别归因偏差,在远社会距离他人表现成功时出现,表现失败时消失;在近社会距离他人表现成功时消失,表现失败时出现。结合相关研究和进化理论对结果进行了讨论。     

中小学生考试成败归因的研究

从小三、初二、高二随机选择有效被试４１０名,探讨了中小学生对考试结果的归因、期望和情感反应的特点。结果发现：（１）中小学生对考试成败原因有不同的认知,年级差异显著,性别差异不显著。（２）失败后的期望显著地高于成功情境,且极显著地认为失败的结果能改变。（３）成功后学生主要产生了感激、自豪与欣慰,失败后主要产生了内疚;成功后的情感反应更强烈。     

中小学生交往成败结果的归因分析

从小三、初二、高二随机选择有效被试406名,探讨了中小学生对交往成败结果的归因和期望特点。结果表明：中小学生对交往成败有不同的原因认知;成败结果差异显著;成功后的期望显著地高于失败情境。     

不同职业倦怠-投入教师在教学归因上的差异

该研究通过对400名中学教师进行团体施测,探讨同职业倦怠-投入类型的教师在教学归因上的差异。结果表明:四类教师(双高教师、高倦低投教师、低倦高投教师和双低教师)在教学成败归因上存在显著差异。在成功情境下,高倦低投教师比低倦高投教师、双高教师更倾向进行内部的、稳定的、不可控的归因;双低教师比低倦高投教师、双高教师更倾向进行内部的、稳定的归因;低倦高投教师、高倦低投教师比双低教师更倾向进行外部归因;在失败情境下,四类教师在教学归因上不存在显著差异。     

奖赏结构与结果效价对男女儿童成就归因的影响

本研究的目的是考察奖赏结构和结果效价对男女儿童归因风格的影响.被试为小学五年级学生(n=74,男生36人,女生38人),实验通过解决一系列迷津测验来创设成功和失败情境.研究结果表明,能力、运气归因存在性别差异,在竞争奖赏结构条件下,女生对成就状况倾向于做运气归因,而男生倾向于做运气以外其他因素的归因(如能力);在非竞争奖赏结构条件下,男生对成就状况倾向于做运气归因,而女生倾向于做运气以外其他因素的归因.此外,还发现了一些其他的显著效应.     

THE ROLE OF GENERALISED EXPECTANCIES IN DETERMINING CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS FOR SUCCESS AND FAILURE IN TWO SOCIAL CLASSES

Summary . The sources of discrepancies in causal attributions for success and failure and for self and other attributions of outcome may become clearer when specific research attention is paid to the role of generalised expectancies in the attributional process. The present study hypothesised that when information about task and outcome is standardised, the attributions of both actors and observers will tend to reflect generalised expectancies, evoked in this study by two levels of SES in both actor and observer conditions, more than they will self-serving biases. 230 sixth grade Jewish Israeli pupils of two SES levels were assigned to one of three experimental conditions. All pupils received eight anagrams, four soluble by all and four insoluble. Those in the self-attribution condition attributed their own outcomes to various causes, while those in the similar and different other conditions attributed the same outcomes for pupils of apparently similar or different social class, after having first completed the anagrams themselves. The results indicated that while pupils of high SES tended to attribute both their own and others' outcomes in ways consistent with high generalised expectancy for success, pupils of low SES attributed their own outcomes more to external, unstable factors, and differentiated consistently in their attributions for the self, for similar and for different others. It was argued that these differences reflect undifferentiated, global perceptions of causality among high SES pupils, whose patterns of attribution are consistent both with teacher values and their own experience. Low SES pupils have more differentiated perceptions of causality since uncertainty as to the real causes of their learning outcomes motivates them to greater, but not always adaptive, attributional activity.     

Locus of Control, Attributional STyle, and Academic Achievement: Comparative Analysis of Korean-Chinese, and Chinese Students

The authors conducted two studies to examine the relationship between attributional style, locus of control, and academic achievement. Using the scales developed by the first author (Park, 1995), the first study compared the attributional style and locus of control of honor students (those who received scholarship) with those who were on academic probation. The results indicated that compared to students on academic probation, honor students were more likely to score higher on internal locus of control and lower on external locus of control. They were more likely to attribute their success to effort and the influence of other people. For failure, the honor students were less likely to attribute their failure to a lack of ability and lack of support from significant others. The second study examined the relationship between the locus of control and academic achievement among three samples: Korean, Korean-Chinese, and Chinese university students. A 40-item locus of control questionnaire and background information section containing sex and self-reported academic grade were administered. The results showed that the Korean sample had the highest internal locus of control score and the lowest external locus of control score. The Korean-Chinese sample, in contrast, scored highest on external locus of control. These results are consistent with past research investigating the cultural influence upon the individual's locus of control. Furthermore, as found in the first study, a significant relationship was found between locus of control and academic grade. For the Korean sample, students with higher academic grades scored higher on internality and lower on externality. For the Chinese sample, students with higher academic grades scored higher on internality. There were no significant differences for the Korean-Chinese sample. Interpretations and implications of cross-cultural and within-sample findings are discussed.     

Attributions for the Success and Failure of Female Managers: A Replication and Extension

This study attempted to extend earlier work on the relationship between attitudes toward women in management and attributions for the success and failure of female managers. One hundred and ten employees of a large state human services agency responded to a survey measuring their attitudes toward women in management and their attributions for either the success or failure of a hypothetical female manager. Results for males were highly supportive of earlier findings, with attitudes toward women in management significantly related to attributions for success but not for failure. Females showed an opposite pattern of results, with attitudes toward women in management significantly related to attributions for failure but not for success. It is suggested that these differences in attitude-attribution relationships may be the result of males expecting failure from female managers while females expect success.     

Social support networks, stress, sense of coherence and academic success of university students with learning disabilities

The current study evaluated the extent to which 191 university students with learning disabilities (LD) differed from 190 students without disabilities in terms of their perceived social support, stress and sense of coherence. The study also investigated students’ perceptions of their academic success at university as compared with their rating of their struggles and failures. Findings indicated that students with LD perceived themselves as having less social support than did students without LD. Students without LD were more likely than students with LD to attribute their academic success to study skills and to their academic characteristics, while students with LD were more likely to attribute their academic success or lack of success to external factors. Although overall the levels of stress reported by the entire sample were relatively low, students with LD tended to experience slightly higher academic stress than students without LD.     

It is our destiny to die: The effects of mortality salience and culture‐priming on fatalism and karma belief

The current study explores whether Asians use culture‐specific belief systems to defend against their death anxiety. The effects of mortality salience (MS) and cultural priming on Taiwanese beliefs in fatalism and karma were investigated. Study 1 showed that people believe in fatalism and karma more following MS compared with the control condition. Study 2 found that the effect of MS on fatalism belief was stronger when Taiwanese were exposed to an Eastern cultural context than to a Western cultural context. However, a matched sample of Western participants did not show increased fatalism belief after either a West‐ or East‐prime task. The present research provides evidence that Asians may use some culture‐specific beliefs, particularly fatalism belief, to cope with their death awareness.     

Managers’ theories of subordinates: A cross-cultural examination of manager perceptions of motivation and appraisal of performance

The present study sought to examine the relationship between managers’ perceptions of employee motivation and performance appraisal by surveying managers and employees in three distinct cultural regions (North America, Asia, and Latin America) within a single global organization. Three distinct cultural patterns emerged in the theories managers’ held about their subordinates. While North American managers perceived their employees as being more extrinsically than intrinsically motivated, perceptions of intrinsic motivation proved to be a more robust predictor of performance appraisal. Asian managers exhibited a holistic tendency in that they perceived their subordinates as equally motivated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and their perceptions of both motivations proved to be comparable predictors of performance appraisal. Latin American managers perceived their employees as being more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated, and accordingly, only their perceptions of intrinsic motivation proved to be significantly correlated with performance appraisal. In contrast to the cultural variations exhibited in manager perceptions, employees consistently reported themselves as being more motivated by intrinsic than extrinsic incentives. Explanations for the distinct cultural patterns that emerged and their implications for the study of culture and organizational behavior are discussed.     

Gender and the attributions of chief executive responsibility for successful or unsuccessful organizational outcomes

This study addresses the effects of gender upon the attributions of responsibility for success and failure by chief executives in an organizational setting. Prior laboratory studies verify that some sex-related differences exist, although their importance and causes have been subject to controversy. In general, gender seems to make a difference in two respects. Men tend to make stronger attributions to their own ability than women and men are less likely than women to attribute their own performance to luck. In short, women are more likely to derogate their own efforts than are men. In this study no major gender-related differences were found in the patterns of attribution of the causes given for success or failure. These results indicate that if a general model of gender-related attributional differences is to be developed, additional studies from natural settings are needed.     

Effects of knowledge that attributions will be observed by others

The current study was conducted to determine if attribution statements would be affected by subjects' knowledge that their attributions of success or failure would be observed by an opposite-sex peer. At the time subjects recorded their attributions, half of them anticipated that their attributions would soon be observed in their presence by an opposite-sex peer, while the other half recorded their attributions anonymously. Results indicated that attributions of success and failure were affected by the social context. Observed subjects evidenced less tendency to attribute their failure to low ability than did nonobserved subjects. Subjects who succeeded on an identity-relevant task reported higher ability attributions under observation conditions than under nonobservation conditions. Observed subjects evidenced significantly greater willingness to attribute failure to lack of effort than did nonobserved subjects. For a task intended to be of minimal relevance to subjects' identities, nonobserved subjects attributed failure to task difficulty to a significantly greater degree than did observed subjects. Results were discussed in relation to Bradley's contention that self-serving biases in attribution can usefully be conceptualized as strategic self-presentations.     

Merge Ahead: A Research Agenda to Increase Merger and Acquisition Success

Scholars have been conducting serious research on the human, organizational, and cultural aspects of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for 30 years. Yet, over this period, there have only been modest improvements in the M&A success rate. In this article, we examine corporate combinations, describe how human factors contribute to their failure or success, and identify key research questions whose answers can help to improve the M&A success rate in both financial and human terms. We propose research questions for the key phases of a deal, including buying a company and putting companies together. And, reflecting an emerging trend among some frequent acquirers to build an internal competence in M&A execution, we also propose research questions for how to accelerate the process of learning from past combinations to better manage future ones.