Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows. Katherine is at the movie theater. She waits in line for ten minutes, and then the ticket seller is very rude to her. When she gets inside to buy her snacks, her order is incorrect. Finally, she goes into the theater itself and finds only one open seat even though the ticket seller told her that there were plenty of open seats. She storms back out to the lobby and asks for the manager. When the manager arrives, Katherine yells and screams at her. According to the principle of fundamental attribution error, what are other theater-goers likely to think of Katherine’s behavior?
Answer
A
“She must be mad because of the lines.”
B
“I wonder if her movie was oversold.”
C
“Wow, I’ll bet she is rude to everyone.”
D
“Man, that’s tough luck for her.”
Explanation
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to explain someone else’s behavior by their personality rather than by the situation. Theater-goers are therefore likely to see Katherine’s yelling as evidence that she is generally rude, rather than considering the frustrating events that led up to it. The best answer is “Wow, I’ll bet she is rude to everyone.”
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