AQA · A-Level · Physical Education
Course version: 7582 · Version from Sept 2016
Attribution theory: General and specific.
In attribution theory, general and specific refer to types of learned helplessness, which is the belief that failure is inevitable.
Checked against the AQA 7582 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 7 of 8
- 3 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
In attribution theory, general and specific refer to types of learned helplessness, which is the belief that failure is inevitable. General learned helplessness occurs when a performer believes they will fail in all sports or situations, such as thinking 'I am hopeless at all physical activity'. Specific learned helplessness is confined to one particular sport or skill, such as 'I can never score penalties'. Both stem from attributing past failures to internal, stable and uncontrollable factors like ability. General helplessness severely damages overall motivation, whereas specific helplessness only affects the targeted activity. Coaches combat both through attribution retraining, ensuring early success and setting achievable goals.
What earns the marks
- General and specific refer to the scope of learned helplessness, which is the belief that failure is inevitable.
- General learned helplessness is the belief that failure will occur across all sports or situations (e.g. 'I am bad at all sports').
- Specific learned helplessness is the belief that failure is inevitable in one particular sport or skill (e.g. 'I cannot serve in tennis').
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating 'general and specific' as broad categories of normal attributions.
Put it right: In this specification context, they specifically describe types of learned helplessness.
Confusing specific learned helplessness with a temporary loss of confidence.
Put it right: Specific learned helplessness is a deep-seated, stable belief that failure is inevitable in that specific task.
Assuming general learned helplessness only affects one sport.
Put it right: General learned helplessness spans across multiple different sports and physical activities.
Exam tips
- Look for keywords in the stem like 'all sports' (general) or 'this particular skill' (specific) to identify the type of learned helplessness.
- Remember that both types are linked to internal, stable and uncontrollable attributions for failure.
- Link the concept to attribution retraining as a strategy a coach would use to overcome either type of learned helplessness.
Try the lesson
The start of the Attribution theory: General and specific. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
In attribution theory, what is meant by a general attribution?
Listen
In attribution theory, general and specific refer to types of learned helplessness, which is the belief that failure is inevitable. General learned helplessness occurs when a performer believes they will fail in all sports or situations, such as thinking 'I am hopeless at all physical activity'. Specific learned helplessness is confined to one particular sport or skill, such as 'I can never score penalties'. Both stem from attributing past failures to internal, stable and uncontrollable factors like ability. General helplessness severely damages overall motivation, whereas specific helplessness only affects the targeted activity. Coaches combat both through attribution retraining, ensuring early success and setting achievable goals. A strong answer earns marks for these points. General and specific refer to the scope of learned helplessness, which is the belief that failure is inevitable. General learned helplessness is the belief that failure will occur across all sports or situations (e.g. 'I am bad at all sports'). Specific learned helplessness is the belief that failure is inevitable in one particular sport or skill (e.g. 'I cannot serve in tennis'). In an MCQ, identify whether the scenario describes a broad expectation of failure (general) or a narrow, situational expectation (specific). A common slip: Treating 'general and specific' as broad categories of normal attributions. Instead, in this specification context, they specifically describe types of learned helplessness. Exam tip: Look for keywords in the stem like 'all sports' (general) or 'this particular skill' (specific) to identify the type of learned helplessness.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Learned helplessness
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General learned helplessness
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Specific learned helplessness
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Learned helplessness
- The belief that failure is inevitable, which can be general or specific in scope.
- General learned helplessness
- The belief that failure will occur across all sports or situations, such as thinking 'I am hopeless at all physical activity'.
- Specific learned helplessness
- The belief that failure is inevitable in one particular sport or skill, such as 'I can never score penalties'.
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