From the perspective of attribution theory, in which way are teachers' attributions to effort most likely to backfire?
A)When students fail at a task at which they have tried very hard and are then told that they didn't try hard enough, they may decide they simply don't have the ability to do the task and give up.
B)When students fail at a task at which they have not tried very hard and are then told that they didn't exert enough effort, they are likely to feel either embarrassed or angry.
C)When students are told that they didn't try hard enough at a task that they expended quite a bit of effort on, they are likely to decide that the subject area has little relevance to their own lives and needs.
D)When students are told that they didn't exert enough effort, and they really didn't try very hard, they are likely to attribute their failure to an external factor and not accept responsibility for it.

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According to attribution theory, if a student fails at a task despite trying hard and is then told that they didn't try hard enough, the student is likely to make an internal attribution (I am not good enough), which can lead to demotivation and giving up. This is because the teacher's attribution of lack of effort conflicts with the student's experience of trying hard, and creates cognitive dissonance. This can backfire if the student starts attributing failure to a lack of ability, which can harm self-esteem and motivation.

From the Perspective of Attribution Theory, in Which Way Are