ABSTRACT
Attribution theory as a fi eld originated with the publication of Fritz Heider’s now classic book, Th e Psychology of Interpersonal Relations (1958). Many theorists associated with attributional analyses followed Heider (e.g., Jones & Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1973), but in this chapter we focus on attribution theory as formulated and elaborated by Bernard Weiner (see reviews in Weiner, 1986, 1995, 2006). Weiner’s model incorporates the antecedents of attributions, the dimensions or properties of causes in addition to causes per se, and the aff ective, cognitive, and behavioral consequences of particular causal ascriptions. Th at theory also distinguishes between the consequences of attributions that individuals make about their own outcomes-labeled an intrapersonal theory of motivation-and the consequences of attributions that perceivers make about the outcomes of other people-labeled an interpersonal theory of motivation. Hence, this theory is more complete than other attributional conceptions, and it remains the framework of choice for most educational psychology researchers who study motivation in school.
