Tate is involved in a conflict with his instructor. Tate feels that some questions on the exam were unfair because the material had not been covered by the instructor in class, even though they were discussed clearly in the textbook. What type of causal attribution is Tate making?
A) dispositional
B) external
C) internal
D) rational

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tate is attributing the cause of his conflict with the instructor to an external factor, namely that the material was not covered in class. This is different from dispositional attribution, which would involve blaming the instructor's personality or character for the perceived unfairness, or internal attribution, which would involve blaming oneself for not being able to understand the material without direct instruction. The term "rational" is not a standard attribution category.

Tate Is Involved in a Conflict with His Instructor