Deck 6: The Fundamental Attribution Error

Question 1

Describe an example of how the actor-observer difference could play a role in racist beliefs.

Answer 1

Answers will vary

Question 2

Researchers randomly assigned participants to play the part of either a quiz game contestant or the host,while other participants merely observed the game.Results indicated that

A)both contestants and observers thought the hosts were more knowledgeable than the contestants.
B)both contestants and observers thought the contestants were more knowledgeable than the hosts.
C)observers thought the hosts were more knowledgeable,but contestants attributed the outcomes to the situation.
D)hosts thought themselves more knowledgeable,but contestants attributed the outcomes to the situation.

Answer 2

both contestants and observers thought the hosts were more knowledgeable than the contestants.

Question 3

Both you and your friend are late for a meeting.How would the attribution theory predict both your behavior and your friend's behavior?

Answer 3

Answers will vary

Question 4

,voters were more likely to attribute the outcome of an election to the _______ the day after a presidential election,and to the _______ a year after the election.

A)poor weather on election day;candidate's oral presentation skills
B)candidate's oral presentation skills;poor weather on election day
C)candidate's personal traits and positions;nation's economy
D)nation's economy;candidate's personal traits and positions

Question 5

found that voters were more likely to attribute the outcome of an election to the candidate's personal traits and positions the day after a presidential election,and to the nation's economy a year after the election.This represents which of the following explanations for the fundamental attribution error?

A)actor-observer difference
B)camera perspective bias
C)changing perspectives trend
D)self-awareness phenomenon

Question 6

In _______ cultures,people are less likely to perceive others in terms of personal dispositions.

A)individualistic
B)collectivistic
C)religious
D)secular

Question 7

,participants observed a suspect confessing during a police interview.The results indicated that participants were more likely to perceive the confession as genuine when they viewed the confession

A)live.
B)through a two-way mirror.
C)through a camera focused on the suspect.
D)through a camera focused on the detective.

Question 8

People in Western cultures are more inclined to assume that others' behaviors

A)reflect inner traits.
B)are caused by the situation.
C)do not reflect inner traits.
D)do not cause events.

Question 9

Provide an example of the fundamental attribution error,and be sure to explain why the error is considered "fundamental."

Question 10

reported that

A)participants were able to differentiate opinions that were chosen from those that were assigned.
B)even when they knew that the position was assigned,participants still reported that the feelings articulated in the essays reflected the authors' true opinions.
C)participants believed that all authors were against Castro's policies regardless of what they wrote.
D)participants believed that all authors were for Castro's policies regardless of what they wrote.

Question 11

Those who make situational attributions regarding poverty and unemployment tend to adopt political positions that

A)offer more direct support to the poor.
B)are unsympathetic to the poor.
C)tend to blame the poor for their problems.
D)are more neutral regarding poverty and unemployment.

Question 12

,participants observed a suspect confessing during a police interview.The results indicated that participants were more likely to perceive the confession as coerced when they viewed the confession

A)live.
B)through a two-way mirror.
C)through a camera focused on the suspect.
D)through a camera focused on the detective.

Question 13

Inferring that Cinderella is truly meek as she cowers in her oppressive home is an example of how we often

A)focus on internal traits.
B)ignore temporary moods.
C)forget about situational influences.
D)notice public and private behavior.

Question 14

Those who make dispositional attributions regarding poverty and unemployment tend to adopt political positions that

A)offer more direct support to the poor.
B)are unsympathetic to the poor.
C)tend to blame the poor for their problems.
D)are more neutral regarding poverty and unemployment.

Question 15

According to the text,observers tend to attribute a person's behavior to _______ the more that time passes.

A)the situation
B)his or her personal characteristics
C)both the situation and his or her personal characteristics
D)neither the situation nor his or her personal characteristics

Question 16

We tend to underestimate the situational determinants of others' behavior but not our own because we observe others from a different perspective than we observe ourselves.This is known as the

A)actor-observer difference.
B)camera perspective bias.
C)changing perspectives trend.
D)self-awareness phenomenon.

Question 17

analysis of research on the actor-observer difference,we are more likely to attribute our behavior to the situation when

A)we act badly.
B)we fail.
C)we act intentionally.
D)we act admirably.

Question 18

What commands our attention as we shop for groceries each week is the environment around us,such as the number of people in front of us at the checkout counter.Yet when we watch another person's behavior at the grocery store,he or she,rather than the environment,occupies the center of our attention.As a result,we tend to engage in the attribution error.That is we are irritable because the lines are long,but the other person is cantankerous because he or she is an unhappy person.What explanation below best explains this use of the fundamental attribution error?

A)actor-observer difference
B)camera perspective bias
C)changing perspectives trend
D)self-awareness phenomenon