stable attribution
- noun
- Specialized
:
atribución estable
- Stable attributions (ability and task difficulty) are perceived to be unchangeable, while unstable attributions (effort and luck) are believed to vary with each attempt at a task.
- stable attribution of ability
Examples
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The stable attributions of ability and task difficulty are perceived as unchanging, while unstable attributions such as skill and luck allow for possible task success with repeated attempts after failure.
Academic text (2002) -
Runners who perceived themselves to be successful tended to make more internal and stable attributions than did the runners who perceived themselves to be unsuccessful.
Academic text (1994) -
This means that adults made relatively stable attributions regardless of performance outcome, while adolescents regarded their least successful performances to be due to unstable, changing causes.
Academic text (2000) -
Skillfully chipping away at the stable attribution of ability is worth the effort, especially if it gets a self-proclaimed nonsinger to move from "I can't sing" to "I might be able to sing."
Academic text (2002) -
Successful athletes often attribute their victories to stable attribution factors like skill and preparation, believing these will lead to consistent outcomes in future competitions.
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In psychology, stable attributions are thought to influence an individual's motivation over time, as they see their capabilities as fixed rather than variable.
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Students who develop a stable attribution of their intelligence may feel more confident in their abilities, believing that their performance will remain consistent.
Synonyms
A belief that one bad event means you will fail in many situations
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'stable' (unlikely to change) modifies 'attribution' (an ascribed cause), so the phrase denotes an ascribed cause viewed as consistent over time. Although used in psychology, the semantic contribution of each constituent is clear, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Stable attribution can be pictured as a name tag that sticks to a person and never comes off. The tag is the attribution, the 'cause', and because it is stable we see the reason for a behaviour as lasting and unchanging, which is why the term means a cause that stays the same over time.
