When Joe shows up late to meet his friends for dinner, he explains that he is late because he was held up in traffic. His friend Maggie reminds him, though, that they all drove in the same traffic but that everyone else left early to accommodate the rush hour. Maggie's dismissal of Joe's situational excuse for being late may be the result of which common perceptual error?
A) mindlessness
B) interaction appearance theory
C) mindfulness
D) fundamental attribution error

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Maggie's dismissal of Joe's excuse is an example of the fundamental attribution error, which occurs when we attribute someone's behavior to their dispositional traits rather than considering situational factors. In this case, Maggie is assuming that Joe is consistently late because he is not considerate, rather than considering the fact that he may have genuinely been delayed by traffic.

When Joe Shows Up Late to Meet His Friends for Dinner