Attribution Test

[Animus]

Hi people,

I'm attempting to write an attribution test for Facebook, to give people a chance to test their skills at attributing causes. Perhaps this will cause some to think.

So far I've only come up with a few ideas and I'm actually finding it quite difficult to come up with questions! If you have any suggestions, please, I'd like to hear them.

Here is what I got:

A waitress serving in a restaurant appears rude to the customers.

A) The woman is actually a nice person but has recently experienced depressive events.

B) The Woman is evidently self-centered without concern for others.

C) Not enough information is available to ascertain the character of the woman.

D) The individuals being served were rude and are getting what they deserve.


A teenager takes up smoking cigarettes

A) The teen lacks the experience to know they've made a bad decision

B) The teen's brain is dysfunctional

C) The teen acted in accordance with inner and outer necessity

D) The teen is a total moron


You have won first prize in an atheltic competition

A) You were more deserving of first prize than your competitors

B) Your perseverance and dedication was the sole cause of your success

C) Your opponents were lazy and failed to make necessary preparations

D) It was the necessary result of myriad causal factors incapable of being illustrated in a single sentence


The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded because:

A) an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed at liftoff.

B) The crew were deserving of the wrath of a supreme deity

C) One or more of the crew failed to perform their duties

D) The shuttle was sabotaged by an evil person


In social environments (e.g. highschool) groups often do not communicate with each other because:

A) They are stuck-up and genuinely view others as unworthy of their attention

B) They feel pressured to conform to group norms which requires rivalry towards other groups

C) The very sight of another clothing-style melts their retinas

D) They have come to identify with a certain group and simply feel more comfortable conversing within the group

[Animus]

See, some of these just don't seem to cut it, the answers need to be difficult, similar, yet fundamentally different. One or two joke answers is fine, but people need to think...


While driving you are cut-off by another driver

A) Because the other driver is a self-centered jerk

B) Because the other driver failed to take proper precautions

C) Because the other driver was unaware of your presence

D) Because the other driver really wants to be dead


You fail an exam or test

A) You did not have sufficient emotional investment in the subject matter

B) The test was impossible to pass

C) You did not study long and hard enough

D) That particular exam or test wasn't that important


A co-worker is laid off and you were not

A) Your co-worker was a slacker and you are efficient

B) Your co-worker was insubordinate while you obeyed your superiors

C) Economic circumstances and the relative value of your co-worker's contributions were significantly lower than yours

D) No reason at all, management made a free-will decision beyond all explanation


You are in a space-ship orbitting the moon on January 1st 2012, what season is it on earth?

A) Summer

C) Winter

D) Depends on the region

E) None because the human race has become extinct and the earth has been destroyed


The most likely cause of laughing-to-death is:

A) A tumor applying pressure to the infundibulum in the subjects brain

B) A really funny joke or event

C) Possession by a demon

D) A cyst developed on their funny-bone

[Rhett]

A waitress serving in a restaurant appears rude to the customers.

A) The woman is actually a nice person but has recently experienced depressive events.

B) The Woman is evidently self-centered without concern for others.

C) Not enough information is available to ascertain the character of the woman.

D) The individuals being served were rude and are getting what they deserve.

The waitress is likely suffering due to ignorance. One possible scenario is she is trying to make that suffering flow out of herself and into others, as if it was a thing unto itself that could be passed on ("the suffering trade" as i call it). The truth is it is not, the waitress will remain a sufferer until she becomes enlightened or dies.

[Sarge_Jr]

A waitress serving in a restaurant appears rude to the customers.

A) The woman is actually a nice person but has recently experienced depressive events.

B) The Woman is evidently self-centered without concern for others.

C) Not enough information is available to ascertain the character of the woman.

D) The individuals being served were rude and are getting what they deserve.

I would choose C option. I analyse and read people, and so I take time to conclude or make decisions on somebodys behaviour. Judging the waitress to be ignorant and/or self centered on this one occasion wouldn't produce any truthful or valid results. Depending on reading methods, it can take minutes or days to conclude somebody's outlook and attitude.

Facial expression, Tone of voice, Body language, all these factors and many more must be taken into account. It wouldn't be intelligent to conclude an analysis from one incident (Which sadly, many people these days automatically do).


I'm looking forward to seeing this quiz on facebook. Keep it up. Just remember to stay on track, make the questions intelligent and most of all, include a bit of fun (like you already have done, so kudos.)

[Animus]

Thanks, the test is online at facebook, part of the Know-It-All trivia.

C was the correct answer for that question!

I doubt "thin-slicing" will be adequate for this but perhaps Malcolm Gladwell would disagree with me.

[Animus]

btw, most of the questions and answers had to be shortened, I think the max character limit was like 30 chars or something. So the actual test online at facebook is less precise :(