Effects of team outcome on children's self-perception: Little League baseball

Abstract.— To determine how children use various attributional categories in making judgments about themselves as a function of team performance outcomes, answers were sought to the questions of how invariant children's perceptions of their characteristics are, and how they expect social agents to judge them under the various outcome conditions of team performance. Subjects were 300 Little League baseball players. Team failure did not decrease the players' judgments of their own internal qualities (ability and effort) but did decrease their judgments of those of the team. In addition, the players judged themselves and expected social agents (coach and spectators) to judge them as being unlucky and having a difficult task following team failure. Theoretical implications of the results were discussed.