Skip to content

ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · Individual and group behaviour in business organisations

Dev attributes his colleague's missed deadline to laziness, ignoring that the colleague was given an unrealistic workload. Later, Dev blames his own missed deadline on a faulty system. Which perceptual error best explains this pattern?

The pattern is the fundamental attribution error, where Dev blames a colleague's failure on personal character and ignores circumstances, together with self-serving bias, where he blames his own failure on external factors. Together they show inconsistent attribution of causes.

  1. AFundamental attribution error combined with self-serving biasCorrect
  2. BHalo effect combined with stereotyping
  3. CSelective perception combined with projection
  4. DPrimacy effect combined with the recency effect

Explanation

Blaming others' failure on personal traits while ignoring situational factors is the fundamental attribution error. Blaming his own failure on external factors is self-serving bias. The halo effect and stereotyping involve generalising from one trait or group membership, which is not described here.

Did you get it right without looking?

One question tells you little. A timed set on Individual and group behaviour in business organisations shows your real accuracy, how long you take and where you lose marks.

Practise Individual and group behaviour in business organisationsFree diagnostic mock

More Individual and group behaviour in business organisations questions