Which of the following statements about the influence of salient information in attribution is true?

• A. People are more likely to attribute behavior to causes that are most salient or noticeable in a situation.
• B. Salient information is usually ignored when people make attributions about others' behavior.
• C. Attribution is only influenced by background information, not by what is most salient.
• D. The salience of information has no effect on whether people make internal or external attributions.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of 'salient information' in the context of attribution. Salient information refers to the aspects of a situation or behavior that stand out and capture our attention more than other details.
2. Step 2: Recognize that attribution is the process by which people explain the causes of behavior, either attributing it to internal factors (like personality) or external factors (like the situation).
3. Step 3: Consider how salience affects attribution by noting that people tend to focus on the most noticeable or prominent information when making judgments about why someone behaved a certain way.
4. Step 4: Evaluate the given statements by comparing them to the psychological principle that salient information is more likely to influence attributions because it is more attention-grabbing and accessible in memory.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the true statement is the one indicating that people are more likely to attribute behavior to causes that are most salient or noticeable in a situation, as this aligns with established attribution theory.