The idea that schooling socialization practices may influence students' self-regulated learning through their effects on attributions and perceived self-efficacy is discussed, focusing on students' beliefs about their abilities. From an attributional perspective, ability is generally viewed as a relatively fixed quality, but researchers have begun to identify different conceptions of ability. Although some students view ability in a fixed sense, others equate it with learning and hold an incremental view of it. Ability beliefs may influence perceived self-efficacy, which can affect motivation and skill acquisition. The theoretical bases of attribution theory, conceptions of ability, and self-efficacy are reviewed. Evidence from research is summarized to demonstrate how providing students with attributional feedback affects achievement beliefs and behaviors. Future research might address the process by which attributional feedback influences ability perceptions and self-regulated learning, and the developmental changes that occur in ability perceptions and their generality across school domains. A 32-item list of references is included. (SLD)