Attributions Quiz

A person explains someone's rude behavior as being due to a bad day at work. This is an example of which type of attribution?

• Dispositional attribution

• Internal attribution

• Situational attribution

• Personality-based attribution

When people attribute another person's behavior to their personality rather than to external circumstances, they are making what kind of attribution?

• Situational attribution

• Dispositional attribution

• External attribution

• Contextual attribution

What does the term "explanatory style" refer to?

• How people predict future events in their lives.

• How people explain good and bad events in their lives and the lives of others.

• How people explain the actions of others in different situations.

• How people attribute success and failure only to others.

A person with a pessimistic explanatory style is likely to explain negative events in which of the following ways?

• As caused by external factors and unlikely to happen again.

• As caused by internal factors and likely to happen again.

• As random occurrences beyond anyone's control.

• As minor and temporary inconveniences.

Which bias refers to the tendency to explain one's own successes through internal factors and failures through external factors?

• Actor/Observer Bias

• Fundamental Attribution Error

• Self-Serving Bias

• Optimistic Bias

Which of the following scenarios demonstrates the fundamental attribution error?

• You believe your coworker was late because of heavy traffic, but when you are late, you think it's because of poor time management.

• You believe your friend's success is due to her hard work, but your own success is just good luck.

• You assume a stranger is rude because they are an unpleasant person, without considering they may be having a bad day.

• You think your success is due to your intelligence, while your failure is due to an unfair system.

How does the mere exposure effect influence preferences?

• It decreases positive feelings toward a stimulus the more it is encountered.

• It increases positive feelings toward a stimulus after repeated encounters.

• It leads to boredom with a stimulus after repeated exposure.

• It causes people to avoid stimuli they encounter frequently.

Which of the following best illustrates the mere exposure effect in a social context?

• A person becomes more comfortable around a new coworker after seeing them every day.

• A person dislikes someone after hearing negative rumors about them.

• A person quickly becomes best friends with someone they just met.

• A person starts disliking a friend after spending too much time with them.

What condition is required for the mere exposure effect to occur?

• Repeated negative experiences with a stimulus.

• A new stimulus that is only briefly encountered.

• Repeated exposure to a stimulus over time.

• A one-time positive encounter with a stimulus.

Which of the following is an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy?

• A student believes they will fail a test, so they study extra hard and pass.

• A teacher expects a student to do poorly, and the student performs poorly because of the teacher’s behavior toward them.

• A person thinks they will win a game, and they do because they are well-prepared.

• A person ignores their negative thoughts and achieves success in their task.