Ralph hears that his neighbor's son was stopped and ticketed for speeding. Without knowing the facts of the case, he tells his wife what he thinks. "That boy was always reckless," he says. "I expect he was speeding down the road without a thought for anyone." Ralph is expressing a/an _______ attribution.


A. situations
B. dispositional
C. ethnocentric
D. unfounded

B. dispositional

b

Ralph is making an attribution about his neighbor's son based on limited information. To determine the type of attribution he is expressing, we need to examine the options.

A. Situations: This type of attribution involves considering external factors or circumstances that might have influenced someone's behavior. There is no mention of Ralph considering any specific situations that could have affected the neighbor's son's actions, so this option is not applicable.

B. Dispositional: This type of attribution involves attributing someone's behavior to their personal characteristics or traits, regardless of external factors. In Ralph's statement, he is assuming that the neighbor's son is reckless without knowing the facts. This indicates a dispositional attribution since he is ascribing the behavior to the person's inherent qualities.

C. Ethnocentric: This is not an appropriate option in this context. Ethnocentrism refers to evaluating different cultures based on one's own cultural standards, and it is not relevant to the situation described.

D. Unfounded: This option suggests that Ralph's attribution is baseless or unsupported by evidence. Since he doesn't have any specific information and is making assumptions about the neighbor's son's behavior, this could be considered an unfounded attribution.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. dispositional, as Ralph is ascribing the neighbor's son's behavior to his personal characteristics without considering external circumstances.