Conceptual Level and Attribution of Responsibility following High or Low Feedback on Performance

Abstract

The present study examined the ways in which subjects of high and low conceptual level attribute responsibility following high or low feedback on performance. 32 high school students, classified as high or low in conceptual level based on the Paragraph Completion Method, completed a communication task based on Carkhuff's Communication Index. Next, the subjects received high (“success”) or low (“failure”) feedback concerning their performance on the task, and finally their attribution of responsibility was assessed by a questionnaire. Subjects low in conceptual level attributed more responsibility to impersonal sources following both high and low feedback than did high scorers. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to counseling situations.