Attributional Style Questionnaire and Life Orientation Test: From Explanations to Expectations

Recent research on dispositional optimism and explanatory style has linked these two theoretically different concepts of optimism effective coping, achievement, and physical health. The present study examined the relationship between the Life Orientation Test (LOT) and the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) to determine if making positive attributions is the same as having positive expectations. The LOT and ASQ was administered to 143 college students. A correlational analysis was used on the scores from the two tests. Results revealed a moderate correlation between the two measures and showed that the overall score of the ASQ to be more related to the LOT score than the individual dimension scores of the ASQ. The usefulness of the ASQ versus the LOT was discussed