WorksheetsGuarding Against Attribution Errors
Total questions: 10
Worksheet time: 5mins
Scenario: Ben misses a project deadline, and his coworker assumes he is lazy and irresponsible.
What type of attribution error is being made?
Self-serving bias
Fundamental attribution error
External attribution
Actor-observer bias
Scenario: A driver cuts you off in traffic, and you think they are reckless and inconsiderate.
What is a better way to guard against this attribution error?
Assume they are always like this.
Consider alternative explanations, such as rushing to an emergency.
Ignore the incident entirely.
Yell at them to express your frustration.
Scenario: Your friend cancels dinner plans last minute, and you think they don’t value your friendship.
What should you do to guard against an attribution error?
Assume they have no interest in spending time with you.
Talk to them calmly and ask if everything is okay.
Cancel all future plans with them out of frustration.
Ignore their message and move on.
Scenario: A teacher notices a student frequently falling asleep in class and assumes they are lazy and uninterested in learning. What is the teacher’s attribution error?
Self-serving bias
Fundamental attribution error
External attribution
Stereotyping
Scenario: Your partner snaps at you during a conversation, and you assume they’re always rude and irritable. What is a better approach to this situation?
Consider they might have had a stressful day.
Respond by snapping back at them.
Criticize them for being rude.
Ignore them completely.
Scenario: A customer is rude to you while you’re working at a store, and you think they are just a mean person. How can you guard against this attribution error?
Reflect on possible external factors affecting their behavior.
Assume all customers are mean.
Avoid interacting with customers.
Complain to your manager about the customer.
Scenario: Your friend arrives late to a meeting, and you think they don’t respect your time. Which of the following shows a better response?
Ask if something delayed them on the way.
Confront them angrily about their lateness.
Assume they are always inconsiderate.
Stop inviting them to future meetings.
Scenario: A team member misunderstands instructions and submits incorrect work. You assume they are careless and inattentive. What could you do instead?
Clarify the instructions for future tasks.
Blame them for not paying attention.
Avoid assigning them any tasks in the future.
Leave the situation unresolved.
Scenario:
Your server at a restaurant seems inattentive and distracted, and you assume they are bad at their job. What would be a fair way to perceive the situation?
Assume they’re overwhelmed with too many tables.
Complain immediately to the manager.
Leave a bad review online.
Ignore the server and leave.
Scenario:
Reflecting on your day, you realize you’ve made assumptions about others’ behavior without considering external factors. What is one way to improve your ability to guard against attribution errors?
Always give the benefit of the doubt.
Assume everyone is acting based on their personality.
Focus only on your perspective.
Avoid interacting with others entirely.
