A fleet of large trucks arrived in the mall parking lot after Janelle parked her car. When she returned to the lot she could not find her small vehicle in the maze of huge trucks. It took her at least half an hour of searching before she located her car. When telling the story to her family her husband remarked, "No one could be stupid enough to lose their car in a parking lot. Come on; tell me you are not that dumb." Her husband's error can be characterized as ______________. 


A. self-serving bias

B. fundamental attribution error

C. halo effect

D. assumed-similarity bias

could it be B or D?

http://drdavespsychologypage.intuitwebsites.com/Attribution_Errors.pdf

http://drdavespsychologypage.intuitwebsites.com/Attribution_Theory_____Explaining_Behavior.pdf

The husband's error can be characterized as B. fundamental attribution error. The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to attribute others' actions to their character or personality traits rather than considering situational factors. In this case, the husband is attributing Janelle's inability to find her car in the parking lot to her being dumb or stupid, instead of considering the challenging circumstances of a parking lot filled with large trucks.

Based on the situation described, the error made by Janelle's husband can be characterized as B. fundamental attribution error.

The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize dispositional or internal factors and underestimate situational or external factors when explaining the behaviors of others. In this case, Janelle's husband quickly attributes Janelle's inability to find her car to her personal characteristics, stating that nobody could be so dumb to lose their car in a parking lot. He fails to consider the possibility that the presence of the large trucks may have made it more difficult for her to locate her car, highlighting the situational factors at play.

Option D, assumed-similarity bias, does not apply in this context. Assumed-similarity bias refers to assuming that others are similar to oneself in terms of beliefs, values, and preferences.