The Social Functions of Attributional Face-Saving Tactics Among Early Adolescents

A series of experiments that examine the social functions of failure accounts are reviewed. The findings with American students showed that by fourth grade (1) students understand that low ability and lack of effort attributions affect teacher and peer approval, and (2) that students vary their own failure accounts in ways that are consistent with their beliefs regarding linkages between attributions and social responses. Subsequent experiments were conducted with Finnish students to investigate why early adolescents are willing to portray themselves as low in ability. Finnish students, like their American counterparts, preferred to convey to both teachers and peers that they failed because of low ability. They believed low ability accounts facilitate both teacher and peer approval as well as promote perceptions of self-effacement and honesty. The findings suggest that early adolescents are motivated to tell liked others that their failures are due to lack of competence because it offers a number of social benefits.