You have just received your results on an exam. Although you thought that you were prepared, you didn't do very well. You can't recall exactly what the questions asked but clearly remember how much work you put in preparing for it. You decide that the reason you performed poorly must have been because the exam questions were unfair in some way. You wonder why your instructor is trying to make things difficult for your class and don't consider the possibility that there was nothing wrong with the exam and the course material was simply difficult. What concept would be most relevant here?
A)generativity
B)a situational attribution
C)fundamental attribution error
D)escape conditioning
E)source misattribution error

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of the fundamental attribution error, where the individual is attributing their poor performance to external factors (unfair exam questions, instructor's intentions) rather than considering their own possible shortcomings or the inherent difficulty of the material.

You Have Just Received Your Results on an Exam