While driving down the freeway, Lucille assumes that the driver who cut her off while switching lanes is an inconsiderate person, without considering that the driver may have been rushing to the hospital after learning of a family member’s emergency. What has Lucille engaged in?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the scenario described: Lucille judges another driver as an inconsiderate person based on an observed behavior (cutting her off) without considering possible situational factors (such as rushing to a hospital for a family emergency).

Option analysis:
- If the choice presented is 'the fundamental attribution error': This is the correct label for the described cognitive pattern. The fundamental attribution error occurs when people overemphasize internal dispositions (e.g., 'inconsiderate driver') and underemphasize external situations (e.g., emergency situation or time pressure) as explanations for others' behavior. In this case, Lucille attributes the action to the other driver’s character rather than to situational context, which matches the definition.
- If there were other options (not shown here): They would need to contrast internal attribution with external/situational factors. For example, a choice like 'blaming the behavior solely on personality' would align with the fundamental attribution error, whereas a choice that emphasizes situational factors (e.g., 'the driver was rushing to the hospital') would be incorrect with respect to the described bias. Another option stating there is no bias would be incorrect, given the provided scenario clearly demonstrates attributional bias.

In summary, the described tendency to label the driver as inconsiderate without acknowledging possible external pressures is a textbook instance of the fundamental attribution error.

PSY 1 S25 Mini Exam #4

While driving down the freeway, Lucille assumes that the driver who cut her off while switching lanes is an inconsiderate person, without considering that the driver may have been rushing to the hospital after learning of a family member’s emergency. What has Lucille engaged in?

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PSY 1 S25 Mini Exam #4

While driving down the freeway, Lucille assumes that the driver who cut her off while switching lanes is an inconsiderate person, without considering that the driver may have been rushing to the hospital after learning of a family member’s emergency. What has Lucille engaged in?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

You hear that your neighbor's eight-year old son, Billy, was involved in a fight at recess. You don't know Billy very well, and, as you try to explain his behavior, you commit the Fundamental Attribution Error when you say __________________________________.

Vikas, who averages two touchdowns a game for his football team, did not score a touchdown in today’s game. The other players believe that he was “slacking off,” but in reality he was playing despite an injury. Vikas’ teammates have committed

When people commit the Fundamental Attribution Error when judging the behavior of others, they tend to overemphasize ____ and underemphasize ___.

Luke sees Gary sleeping at his desk in their 8am class and immediately thinks, "That guy must be lazy." Assuming that Luke is mistaken and doesn't realize that Gary has noisy neighbors keeping him awake all night, which bias is Luke most likely showing here?

The tendency for people to overemphasize personality and underestimate the situation when making attributions about others is referred to as

When a manager makes the attribution that an employee's lack of effort or ability is the reason for poor performance, they are probably making an error called:

Tim's new roommate Jaxon leaves dirty laundry all over his room, and Tim assumes Jaxon must be a slob. Tim ignores the fact that Jaxon is currently studying for finals and working 30 hours per week. Tim is demonstrating:

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