Question

Colin and Erin are waiting for a caterer that is 30 minutes late and still hasn t arrived. Colin suggests that the caterer is probably delayed because of traffic. Erin suggests that the caterer is probably disorganized and unreliable. Colin is making a(n) ____ attribution, whereas Erin is making a(n) ____ attribution.

Answer 1

Colin is making a(n) situational attribution, whereas Erin is making a(n) personal attribution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The attribution theory says that individuals try to understand or make sense of a behavior or event by assigning causes to it.

An external or situational attribution explains the cause for the event as a matter of luck. Something probably happened because of interference by other people or the environment etc. In this case, the behavior or event is thought to be caused by something external to itself.

On the other hand, internal or personal attribution sees the cause as the result from the involved person's personality, abilities, skills, mood, efforts, etc. In this case, the cause would be the very person, not something else.

We can, therefore, conclude Colin is making an external or situational attribution - traffic is the cause - while Erin is making an internal or personal attribution - the caterer is disorganized.