Table of Contents
Definition of Attrition
(noun) In a study, a decrease in participation by research participants.
Reasons for Attrition
- participants die
- participants lose interest
- participants move
Attrition Pronunciation
Syllabification: at·tri·tion
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /uh-trIsh-uhn/
- British English – /uh-trIsh-uhn/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /əˈtrɪʃən/
- British English – /əˈtrɪʃn/
Usage Notes
- Plural: attritions
- Longitudinal studies are typically impacted by attrition.
- To negate the impact of attrition, the initial sample size must be quite large, which causes added expense and time.
- Participants leave a study because of (adjective) attritional or (adjective) attritionary or (adjective) attritive reasons.
Additional Information
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “attrition” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Contributor: C. E. Seaman
Cite the Definition of Attrition
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Seaman, C. E. 2015. “attrition.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary, edited by Kenton Bell. Retrieved April 23, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/attrition/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
Seaman, C. E. (2015). attrition. In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/attrition/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Seaman, C. E. 2015. “attrition.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary, edited by Kenton Bell. Accessed April 23, 2024.https://sociologydictionary.org/attrition/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
Seaman, C. E. “attrition.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/attrition/>.