Which of the following best describes the fundamental attribution error in social psychology?

• A. It is the tendency to attribute one's own successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.
• B. It is the tendency to attribute group behavior to individual personality traits.
• C. It is the tendency to believe that others behave as they do because of the roles they occupy.
• D. It is the tendency to overemphasize personal traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining other people's behavior.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of the fundamental attribution error, which is a common cognitive bias in social psychology.
2. Step 2: Recognize that this error involves how people explain the causes of others' behavior, specifically focusing on internal versus external factors.
3. Step 3: Note that the fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overemphasize personal traits (internal factors) when explaining others' actions.
4. Step 4: Also understand that this bias leads to underestimating the influence of situational or external factors on others' behavior.
5. Step 5: Compare the given options and identify the one that best captures this tendency to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational influences.