Attribution Theory Interactive Activity

For each scenario, classify the cause as internal vs. external, stable vs. unstable, and controllable vs. uncontrollable.

Scenario 1

Showing up late to class

Marcus has arrived 20-30 minutes late to his 9:00 a.m. class nearly every week. He often walks in holding an energy drink and disheveled, as if he just rolled out of bed. He lives five minutes from campus. His friends notice that he routinely posts gaming clips on social media around 1:00-2:00 a.m. When friends suggest going to bed earlier, he shrugs and says he "just isn't a morning person."

Why does Marcus come to class late?

Scenario 2

Submitting assignment late

Aisha fails to submit a major assignment for the first time all semester. She has perviously earned strong scores, participates regularly, and is known among her groupmates for being organized. On the afternoon the assignment was due, her apartment building experienced a sudden power outage after a nearby transformer explosion. With no electricity, her Wi-Fi router went down and she could not charge her laptop (which was already at 0%). She had finished the assignment earlier, but the only copy was on her computer and the submission portal required an online upload.

Why did Aisha not submit her assignment on time?

Scenario 3

Late to presentation

Jordan misses a scheduled group presentation in class. This is unusual for him, as he usually shows up on time or even early. However, that morning, the campus parking lot closest to the classroom was unexpectedly closed due to emergency tree removal after a windstorm the night before. As a result, Jordan had to park much farther away than usual and arrived on campus later than planned. Instead of emailing the group while walking to class, Jordan stopped to get coffee and scroll through messages, assuming the group could start without them.

Why did Jordan miss the group presentation?