1. I was very confident!
I didn't make it, because the ball was too light and didn't travel as far as i thought it would when I tossed it.
I was even more confident the second time, because I knew that I needed to throw with more force!
I made it!
2. I was extrinsically motivated to make the shot. This is because I'm not usually good at athletic feats so when I do actually successfully complete one, I like to tell people, and the extrinsic motivation is the congratulations or the recognition.
3. My original distance was reasonable.
4. My confidence level increased, even though I missed the first shot. This is because I gained knowledge during my first shot which I knew, when used correctly, would make me more likely to make my second!
5. At first I blamed the lightness of the paper, but then I realized that regardless of the weight of the paper, it is possible to get it into the trashcan...it all depends on the amount of force I exert to get the ball into the trashcan. The weight was uncontrollable, but the force was controllable. The next time I threw with more force. I felt empowered, because I identified what I did wrong, fixed it, and succeeded...is there any better feeling than that!?
So you immediately attributed your failure to external causes. This can be good and bad. If you always attribute the failure to external factors, then when it really is a factor that is caused from within you, you will be unable to fix it. But after a while, you did start to attribute the failure to internal causes. I started out this activity by overestimating myself...as a challenge. This ultimately lowered my motivation because it lowered my perception of my ability. So when I had to stand even farther from the trash can, I was totally unmotivated and naturally did worse anyway.
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