The effect of skill level and sport outcomes on dimensional aspects of causal attributions.

Competitive squash players stated why they had won or lost a match, and evaluated this causal attribution along several dimensions. Dimensional ratings were then analysed according to outcome (win/loss) and the skill level (competition grade) of the performer. Results indicated that the attributions of winners were more stable and global than those of losers. In addition, ability level interacted with outcome to influence the internality of causal attributions. High-ability players used internal attributions more after success than failure, but low-ability players tended to use internal attributions more after failure than success. These findings are discussed in relation to attributional theories of motivation, with particular attention given to the learned helplessness and self-blame models.