Glossary
Re-attribution
What is Re-attribution?
Re-attribution involves asking someone what they think caused a behavior and suggesting alternative explanations.
How re-attribution works
Attribution theory distinguishes internal from external causes (me or the situation), stable from changeable causes, and controllable from uncontrollable causes. Re-attribution uses such distinctions to reconsider an explanation. A proposed explanation is not automatically the true cause; the aim should not be to replace one unsupported certainty with another.
Illustrative example
A learner who attributes missed practice solely to lack of ability considers whether an unpredictable schedule also contributed.
Why reconsider an attribution?
An explanation can guide what someone tries next. If missed practice is attributed only to fixed ability, the person may overlook a scheduling problem. Ask what evidence supports each explanation and which conditions can be changed, rather than choosing the most reassuring story.
Re-attribution in the behavior change taxonomy
The original BCT Taxonomy v1 definitions specify this as technique 4.3.