Perspectives Such as Behaviourism and Social Cognitive Theory Show Us

Essay

Perspectives such as behaviourism and social cognitive theory show us how the consequence (reinforcement or punishment) of a particular behaviour affects the extent to which the behaviour is likely to appear again.Attribution theory has cast a new light on this notion, maintaining that the consequences of behaviour will affect each person's learning and future behaviour differently, depending on how the individual interprets those consequences.Within the context of attribution theory:
a.explain what motivation theorists mean when they talk about attributions;
b.explain how students' responses to failure are likely to be different when they attribute that failure to a controllable cause or to an uncontrollable one (give a concrete example to illustrate your explanation); and,
c.describe three specific strategies you might use to foster more productive attributions in your students (use attribution theory to explain why you think the strategy will be effective).