An American soldier is captured and tortured by enemy forces.The enemy then releases a videotape of the soldier proclaiming a deep hatred for America.According to the discounting principle,Americans who later view this videotape are likely to explain the soldier's proclamations in terms of ________ causes.
A) internal
B) external
C) dispositional
D) global

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The discounting principle suggests that people tend to attribute behavior to internal or dispositional causes when there are no external situational factors that could have influenced the behavior. In this case, the soldier's behavior (proclaiming a deep hatred for America) is clearly influenced by the extreme situation of being captured and tortured by enemy forces. Therefore, Americans who view the videotape are more likely to attribute the soldier's behavior to external situational factors rather than internal dispositional factors.

An American Soldier Is Captured and Tortured by Enemy Forces