Attribution Theory

Attribution theory explains the way we understand peoples’ actions - someone else’s or our own. The basic idea is that our interpretations of past performance, not the actions themselves, influence our expectations for the future. In other words, if we ascribe a child’s misbehavior to his or her personality, then we will expect similar behavior in the future. On the other hand, if we explain the misconduct as a momentary lapse, then we will expect the child to return to a higher level of functioning. What is the outcome of these two different explanations?

In the first instance we attribute the naughtiness to an internal, permanent source (the child’s personality); in the latter example, we attribute it to an external, temporary factor (e.g., going to sleep late the night before) that interfered with normal functioning. Of course, it may take some creative thinking to come up with a temporary cause for a child’s misbehavior. But our ability to do so will make an enormous difference in how we handle the situation.

The opposite holds true for positive behaviors: When we orally attribute a good deed to a manifestation of a child’s refined temperament, then that child will feel proud and motivated to continue in the same manner. On the other hand, if we say that the positive behavior was an exception (“I see that you made your bed nicely today. Why can’t you do that every day?”), then the child will not believe in his or her own ability to repeat it. The first explanation raises a child’s self-esteem; the second deflates it. The resultant behavior will be vastly different for these children.

We can now begin to understand why some sincere efforts at behavior modification do not succeed. Parents often tell me, for example, “I’ve tried rewards, punishments and charts. I’ve tried everything and nothing seems to work!” Attribution theory, as outlined above, offers an explanation for this failure. The external reward is only the beginning; to establish a lifelong pattern it must be followed with a parent’s true belief – and communication of that belief -- in the capability of the child to succeed.

Expectations in the Classroom

Teachers as well as parents can influence children’s performance. A well-known research experiment in 1968 (“Pygmalion in the Classroom,” by Rosenthal and Jacobson) illustrates this phenomenon. The authors gave an intelligence test to all of the students in grades one through six in a San Francisco elementary school. They then selected 20 percent of the students at random - without any regard to their intelligence test results - and told the teachers that these students could be expected to "bloom" in their academics that year. At the end of the year, they came back and re-tested all the students. Those labeled as "bloomers" gained an average of 12 IQ points compared to a gain of 8 points for the unlabeled group. The researchers concluded that the teachers’ high expectations for their students actually resulted in improved scores.

The parent’s expectations of a child’s behavior at home are the parallel to a teacher’s expectations of a child’s achievement in school. Both teachers and parents exert tremendous influence on a young child’s performance. All children want to live up to the expectations of the people who are significant to them. Therefore, we must interpret events positively in order to communicate encouraging messages. If, on the other hand, we view occurrences negatively, we may try not to say something disapproving but we will unconsciously communicate our lukewarm expectations in the way we look and in our tone of voice.

Expectations at Home

Let us return to a typical morning. If you greet the children happily with the expectation that they will respond in kind, will your expectation be fulfilled? Unfortunately, maybe not, because a parent’s expectations are only part of the picture. In any case, an optimistic outlook will prepare us to meet our children with a positive attitude and serve as protection from our children’s transient moods. For example, if the aforementioned Billy does spill his milk this morning, then our belief that he is a responsible, albeit fallible, youngster will enable us to clean it up easily and quickly without chastising him for his mistake. Similarly, when Deena refuses to get dressed, our understanding that it’s a momentary lapse will enable us to think creatively rather than become exasperated and get angry. Positive expectations lead to resourceful problem solving; negative expectations lead to judgment and blame.

When we see our children as skillful individuals then they will view themselves in a similar manner and develop a positive self-image. Our job is to give them the tools to live up to our expectations.

Future Issues

The Power of Expectation on Ourselves

Holiday Get-Togethers

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