Johanna Springer, who works as a sales executive at Pascal's Bank, is upset at the way her manager, Emma Womack, always calls her in for one-on-one meetings to discuss her underperformance. Though Springer makes a higher number of sales calls and works longer hours than last year, her sales figures are still low. She knows that the main reason behind her underperformance is the recent economic meltdown in the country. However, her manager feels that Springer's underperformance is the result of her laid back attitude and has nothing to do with external factors. In this situation, Womack's behavior is characterized by a(n) ________.
A) anchoring bias
B) contrast effect
C) self-fulfilling prophecy
D) pygmalion effect
E) fundamental attribution error

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described is an example of fundamental attribution error, which occurs when an observer underestimates the impact of situational factors and overemphasizes dispositional or personal factors in explaining someone else's behavior. In this case, the manager is attributing Johanna Springer's underperformance to her "laid back attitude" instead of considering the external factors that could be affecting Springer's performance.

Johanna Springer, Who Works as a Sales Executive at Pascal's