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GATE 2021 XH5 – Question 43

Social Psychology · Social Perception: Attribution, impression formation, social categorization, implicit personality theory · 1 mark · Multiple choice

Why do people often underweight situational factors when judging another person’s behaviour?

  1. They tend to commit the fundamental attribution error.
  2. The frustration–aggression relationship.
  3. They are influenced by reinforcement laws.
  4. The overjustification effect.

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (A) They tend to commit the fundamental attribution error.

Explanation

The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overemphasise dispositional causes of others’ actions while underestimating circumstances, A. Frustration–aggression concerns aggression, and overjustification concerns external rewards reducing intrinsic motivation. Neither names the attribution bias described.

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