Which of the following is an example of an external attribution?

• A. Thinking you succeeded because you are naturally intelligent.
• B. Believing you failed because you did not study enough.
• C. Blaming a poor test score on the difficulty of the exam.
• D. Assuming you made a mistake because you are careless.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of attribution in psychology: Attribution theory explains how individuals interpret events and how this relates to their thinking and behavior. Attributions can be internal (dispositional) or external (situational).
2. Identify internal attributions: These are explanations that assign the cause of behavior to personal factors such as ability, effort, or personality traits. For example, thinking you succeeded because you are naturally intelligent is an internal attribution.
3. Identify external attributions: These are explanations that assign the cause of behavior to situational factors outside the individual, such as luck, task difficulty, or other environmental influences.
4. Analyze each option to determine whether it reflects an internal or external attribution. For example, blaming a poor test score on the difficulty of the exam points to an external cause (the exam's difficulty), which is an external attribution.
5. Conclude that the example of an external attribution is the one that attributes outcomes to factors outside the person, such as blaming a poor test score on the difficulty of the exam.