While eating at the university café, Janet sees a waiter's serving tray tilt, and the food and beverages spill onto four people. "What a careless, clumsy idiot," Janet mumbles to herself as she resumes eating. Janet has just committed:

Question

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The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to explain others' behavior as being caused by dispositional factors, such as personal traits or abilities, rather than situational factors, such as the environment or circumstances. Janet's immediate assumption that the waiter was a "careless, clumsy idiot" suggests that she is making dispositional attributions without considering situational factors that may have contributed to the spill.

While Eating at the University Café, Janet Sees a Waiter's