In the context of AP Psychology and attribution theory, what does the term 'proximity' most accurately refer to?

• A. The physical closeness between individuals, which can influence the likelihood of forming relationships or making attributions about others.
• B. The mental shortcut that leads people to overestimate the frequency of events based on how easily examples come to mind.
• C. The process of explaining one's own successes by attributing them to external factors.
• D. The tendency to attribute others' behavior to their internal characteristics rather than situational factors.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand that 'proximity' in psychology, especially in attribution theory and social psychology, refers to the physical closeness or nearness between individuals.
2. Step 2: Recognize that proximity influences social interactions by increasing the likelihood that people will meet, interact, and form relationships.
3. Step 3: Differentiate proximity from other psychological concepts such as mental shortcuts (heuristics), self-serving attributions, or the fundamental attribution error, which relate to how people explain behavior rather than physical closeness.
4. Step 4: Note that in attribution theory, proximity can affect how we make judgments about others because people who are physically closer are more likely to be noticed and evaluated.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the term 'proximity' most accurately refers to the physical closeness between individuals, which influences relationship formation and attribution processes.