Final answer:
The statement that the tendency to blame the victim is related to committing the fundamental attribution error is true, as this cognitive bias involves attributing others' behaviors to their dispositions while overlooking situational factors that may have contributed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tendency to blame the victim is indeed related to the fundamental attribution error. This cognitive bias leads people to over-emphasize personality-based explanations for behaviors observed in others while underestimating situational factors. When individuals blame victims, they often ignore the external circumstances that might have contributed to the victim's situation, such as economic downturns, social structures, or unforeseen life events. An example of this is when people blame the poor for their poverty, attributing it to laziness or a desire to live off government aid, rather than considering situational factors like unemployment rates or inadequate educational opportunities.
Research has shown that people from individualistic cultures are more likely to commit the fundamental attribution error, as their focus is on individual autonomy and achievements. In contrast, those from collectivistic cultures, which emphasize community and relationships, are less prone to this error. The actor-observer bias also highlights that as observers, we tend to attribute others' behavior to their dispositions (fundamental attribution error), but we attribute our own behaviors to situational factors. These biases in thinking can have significant implications for how we view and treat victims in various situations.