Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) Practice Exam

An employee complains to their supervisor that another employee is always late, stating that "it must be because he is lazy and just doesn't want to come to work." The next day, the complaining employee was late, and when asked why, he stated that "construction on his normal commute was heavier than usual that day." The complaining employee is most likely making what type of error?

1. Values-based

2. Discrimination

3. Bias

4. Fundamental attribution

The correct answer is: Fundamental attribution

The correct answer is that the complaining employee is most likely making a fundamental attribution error. This type of error occurs when an individual attributes someone else's behavior to their character or disposition while attributing their own behavior to external or situational factors. In this case, the complaining employee labels the other person's lateness as a reflection of laziness, demonstrating a tendency to overlook possible situational influences, such as traffic or construction, while justifying his own tardiness with an external factor. This highlights a discrepancy in how he perceives his actions compared to those of his coworker. Contextually, the other options do not capture this specific cognitive bias accurately. Values-based errors would pertain to disagreements rooted in differing personal values or principles, which does not apply here. Discrimination suggests unfair treatment based on characteristics such as race, gender, or age, which is not relevant in this scenario. Bias refers to a more general inclination towards or against something, which does not fully illustrate the specific nature of the complaining employee's misjudgment regarding the reasons behind others' behavior.