Summary

Children in grades 3 and 5 (N # 160) performed a task which was labeled either sex-appropriate or sex-inappropriate. Following the task, prearranged feedback (success or failure) was provided, and the children evaluated the importance of ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck in determining their performance. Girls attributed failure to lack of ability more than did boys. Further, girls but not boys attributed failure to poor ability more than they attributed success to good ability. Successful boys emphasized ability more than luck, whereas successful girls did not. Sex-typed labeling of the task did not influence causal attributions, performance, or the attractiveness of the task to the child. Third and fifth graders displayed similar patterns of causal attribution.