A student who consistently says "I failed the test because I'm just not smart enough" is making an attribution that is:

Question

Accepted Answer

Internal, stable, and uncontrollable. Attributing failure to a lack of intelligence reflects an internal attribution (the cause is within the student), a stable attribution (intelligence is perceived as fixed and unchanging), and an uncontrollable attribution (the student believes they cannot change their intelligence). This combination is the most damaging pattern of attribution because it leads to learned helplessness - the student sees no point in trying harder because they believe the outcome is determined by an unchangeable personal trait.

An external, stable, and controllable attribution would suggest the cause is outside the student and within their control, which is contradictory and does not fit the scenario. An internal, unstable, and controllable attribution - such as attributing failure to insufficient effort - would actually be the most adaptive attribution pattern because effort can be changed. An external, unstable, and uncontrollable attribution, such as blaming bad luck, removes personal responsibility but also removes the sense of agency to improve.

Attribution retraining is an important educational strategy in which teachers help students shift from maladaptive attributions (like blaming low ability) to adaptive ones (like recognizing insufficient preparation or ineffective strategies). When students learn to attribute failures to controllable factors like effort and strategy use, they maintain motivation and are more likely to persist through challenges. This is closely related to Dweck's work on growth mindset.

CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology: Question of the Day

Get a free CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology question every day

Ready for the full CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology? Earn 3 college credits.