Summer watches as a student stumbles and drops her books in the hall. If she demonstrates the fundamental attribution error, how would Summer explain the student's behavior?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and underestimate situational factors when explaining someone's behavior. In this case, if Summer demonstrates the fundamental attribution error, she would attribute the student's behavior (i.e. stumbling and dropping her books) to her own personal characteristic of being clumsy, rather than considering other possible situational factors that may have contributed to the behavior. Therefore, the best choice is C - "She is a clumsy person."

Summer Watches as a Student Stumbles and Drops Her Books