Tossup

Philip E. Tetlock authored a “social check” on this phenomenon, which was eliminated in an experiment centering on affirmative action. Thomas Pettigrew extended this phenomenon to an “ultimate” type for in- and out-groups. (10[1])In an experiment demonstrating this phenomenon, students rated a quizmaster’s knowledge as “above average” despite being selected randomly. Lee Ross coined this phenomenon’s name in an essay discussing how people believed individuals assigned to write pro-Castro essays were actually pro-Castro. (10[1]-5[1])This cognitive bias under-emphasizes (-5[1])situational explanations and overemphasizes trait-based explanations for an actor’s behavior. For 10 points, identify this “error” named in part for the process in which people infer causes for behaviors. ■END■ (0[2])

ANSWER: fundamental attribution error [or FAE; accept correspondence bias; prompt on attribution]
<Georgia Tech B, Social Science>
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