Causal attributions of hyperactive children and motivational assumptions of two behavior-change approaches: Evidence for an interactionist position.
Children’s causal-attribution systems were predicted to act as mediators of the differential effectiveness of 2 behavior-change programs. Hyperactive boys were tutored individually for 2 months in a classroom setting; half were instructed in self-controlling speech, and half were given contingent social reinforcement. Within each treatment group, half of the children were taking methylphenidate (Ritalin), and half were unmedicated. 2 dependent measures were used: (a) qualitative-error scores on the Porteus Mazes and (b) the Conners Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale. Measures were obtained for each child’s attributions of personal causation for academic success and failure. Significant interactions were found between interventions and (a) child attributions and (b) medication status. The self-control intervention produced significantly greater error reduction on the mazes for (a) children with high perceived personal causality and (b) nonmedicated children. The social-reinforcement intervention produced trends toward greater error reduction for (a) children with low perceived personal causality and (b) medicated children. No significant differences were found on teacher ratings. The efficacy of perfecting the match between the child’s attributional system and the attributional assumptions implicit in an intervention approach is discussed.
Citation: Bugental, D. B., Whalen, C. K., & Henker, B. (1977). Causal attributions of hyperactive children and motivational assumptions of two behavior-change approaches: Evidence for an interactionist position. Child Development, 48(3), `874-884.