When Steve finds out that his friend is in jail, he assumes that his friend must have been at the wrong place at the wrong time and was charged on circumstantial evidence. This is an example of
A) implicit personality theory
B) situational attribution
C) prejudice
D) dispositional attribution

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Steve's assumption that his friend must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time suggests that he is making a situational attribution for his friend's behavior. He is assuming that external circumstances (being in the wrong place at the wrong time) led to his friend's arrest rather than any internal traits or characteristics of his friend (dispositional attribution). This is different from implicit personality theory (A), which refers to the idea that people tend to make assumptions about others based on their perceived personality traits, and prejudice (C), which refers to preconceived negative attitudes toward a group of people.

When Steve Finds Out That His Friend Is in Jail