Pamela says, “I didn’t get a job offer because the interviewer was biased and it was a nasty day. However, Kaitlin didn’t get an offer because she isn’t qualified.” This is an example of __________.

Question

Pamela says, “I didn’t get a job offer because the interviewer was biased and it was a nasty day.  However, Kaitlin didn’t get an offer because she isn’t qualified.” This is an example of __________.

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Consider the scenario described: Pamela attributes her lack of a job offer to external factors like interviewer bias and a nasty day, while Kaitlin’s lack of an offer is attributed to her own lack of qualification. This contrast is a hallmark of self-serving bias.

Option 1: construct differentiation. This term is not standard in social psychology for explaining attribution patterns in this context; it doesn’t capture the selective attribution Pamela makes to external factors for herself while implying internal factors for others.

Option 2: stereotyping. Stereotyping would involve applying generalized beliefs about a group to an individual. The scenario centers on blaming external conditions versus qualifications rather than applying group-based beliefs about a group, so this isn’t the best fit here.

Option 3: self-serving bias. This is the correct choice. Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute one’s own successes to internal factors (e.g., skill) and one’s failures to external factors (e.g., bias, bad luck). Pamela does exactly that by blaming the outcome on external causes for herself and internal causes for Kaitlin.

Option 4: internal attributions. Internal attributions would assign the outcome to personal factors for both individuals. Pamela’s statement, which shifts blame to external factors for herself, contradicts a strict internal attribution model and therefore misclassifies the pattern.

In sum, the key feature here is the differential attribution pattern—external causes for one’s own failure and internal causes for others’ failures—which aligns with self-serving bias rather than the other listed concepts.

CMN 010V A01 FQ 2025 Exam 2 (on Canvas/proctored by Honorlock)

Pamela says, “I didn’t get a job offer because the interviewer was biased and it was a nasty day. However, Kaitlin didn’t get an offer because she isn’t qualified.” This is an example of __________.

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