Category: General Knowledge | Last updated: 2026-09-18

A student excels on a challenging exam and attributes their success to their innate intelligence and hard work. However, when they perform poorly on a different exam, they blame the teacher's unfair grading and the confusing test format. This pattern of attributing positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors is best described by which cognitive bias?

A) Confirmation Bias

B) Self-serving Bias

C) Halo Effect

D) Fundamental Attribution Error

Explanation

Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute positive events to one's own character (e.g., intelligence, hard work) but attribute negative events to external factors (e.g., unfair grading, confusing format).

Practice More General Knowledge Questions

Browse all questions