Mike is having a hard time dealing with a rough divorce. He calls upon his friend Ben for support, but Ben is not responsive. Mike knows that Ben and his wife have just had a baby, yet he cannot help but think Ben is not as kind and supportive a friend as he thought him to be. Mike's judgment reflects:

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Question restatement: Mike is coping with a rough divorce and seeks support from his friend Ben. Ben doesn’t respond, and Mike notes that Ben and his wife just had a baby, leading him to think Ben isn’t as kind or supportive as he believed. Mike's judgment reflects:

Option A: A correspondence inference. This term is not standard in psychology for explaining why people misjudge others’ behavior; it sounds similar to the idea of inferring disposition from actions, but the more accepted term is correspondence bias or fundamental attribution error.

Option B: A mental association. This would imply a link formed in memory or perception between concepts, but it does not capture the error in interpreting another person’s behavior as due to their character rather than situational factors.

Option C: A correspondence bias. This is the correct label for the described phenomenon. A correspondence bias (also called the fundamental attribution error) occurs when someone attributes another person’s behavior to internal dispositions (traits, character) rather than to situational factors (such as new parenthood or stress). In this scenario, Mike attributes Ben’s lack of responsiveness to Ben’s character rather than to the situational context of becoming a new parent and potential fatigue or upheaval from a recent life event.

Option D: Systematic processing. This refers to a careful, deliberate way of thinking that weighs evidence and biases; it does not describe the mistaken attribution of behavior to personality traits. In fact, systematic processing would tend to reduce such biases, not explain them.

Why the incorrect options fail:
- A: Since “correspondence inference” is not the standard term used for attributing behavior to personality despite situational cues, this option mislabels the phenomenon and misleads about the mechanism.
- B: A mental association does not capture the attributional error at play; it’s about forming connections, not explaining why we misjudge others’ actions as due to who they are.
- D: Systematic processing is the opposite of what’s happening here; the scenario describes a quick, disposition-based judgment rather than careful, evidence-based reasoning.

In sum, the scenario illustrates a fundamental attribution error (correspondence bias) where Mike emphasizes Ben’s supposed lack of kindness rather than considering the situational factors (Ben’s new baby and its impact on his responsiveness).

PSYC20009_2025_SM2 Supplementary or Special Exam: Personality and Social Psychology (PSYC20009_2025_SM2)- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser

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