Reem's attention was captured by a new student,Matt,who yelled angrily as he walked past her in the hallway at school.Reem thought to herself,"Jeez,he must be a really angry person." Given her focus on Matt and his outburst,Reem failed to notice the group of guys in the background by the lockers who were subtly taunting him.This example illustrates how ________ influences causal attributions.
A) perceptual salience
B) belief in a just world
C) threat reduction
D) motivational bias

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Perceptual salience refers to our tendency to focus on the most noticeable or prominent information when making causal attributions. In this case, Reem was caught up in her focus on Matt and his outburst, which was more perceptually salient than the group of guys in the background who were subtly taunting him. This influenced her attribution of Matt's behavior as being a reflection of his angry personality, rather than considering the situational factors that may have contributed to his outburst.

Reem's Attention Was Captured by a New Student,Matt,who Yelled Angrily