In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depresses motivation more than does the belief that lack of effort is to blame.

Reasonable people may disagree about whom to blame.

No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said.

We're not trying to assign blame or criticize anyone or call anyone consciously sexist.

The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather.

Arum and Roksa placed the blame for students' lack of learning on a watered-down college curriculum and lowered undergraduate work standards.

Some critics blame affirmative action – students admitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high schools often struggle at elite schools.

And one of the most popular explanations, among some experts and the popular media, is that excessive "screen time,, is to blame.

Even though scientists play a part in transmitting information to journalists and ultimately the public, too often the blame for ineffective communication is placed on the side of the journalists.

The technologies themselves, and their makers, are the easiest suspects to blame for our diminishing attention spans.

It's easy to blame technology for being so distracting, but distraction is nothing new.

You can hardly blame people for worrying though.