John Simmons believed that politics had played a role when he didn't receive a scholarship for graduate school. Fortunately, his good grades had earned him entrance into a prestigious state school. This example illustrates .

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John Simmons believed that politics had played a role when he didn't receive a scholarship for graduate school. Fortunately, his good grades had earned him entrance into a prestigious state school. This example illustrates .

A) self-preservation

B) impression management

C) selective perception

D) self-serving attribution

This example illustrates D) self-serving attribution.

Explanation:

Self-serving attribution or self-serving bias is a tendency people have to interpret events in a way that is favorable to themselves. If something goes wrong, they place the blame in someone or something else, externalizing it. On the hand, if an event is good and successful, they give themselves the merit for it. That is precisely what John Simmons is doing. When he didn't receive the scholarship, he blamed the politics' role in the process. However, when he got accepted into a prestigious state school, he attributed it to his good grades - his intelligence and hard-work.