A: observers successfully identified the
debaters' true attitudes every
time
Incorrect.
In section, group 1 was assigned to argue that the prison
study was ethical, group 2 was assigned to argue that the prison study
was unethical, and the rest of the class was given the task of observing
the debate to ascertain the true attitude of the members of groups 1 and
2. The class did not successfully identify the debater's attitudes
every time. In fact, they believed that the debaters actually believed
the positions they were arguing. They believed this, even though
the members were assigned to the groups randomly (e.g. equal chance of
being chosen for groups 1 and 2), and in doing so, committed the fundamental
attribution error, which is overestimating dispositional causes (e.g.,
person in group 1 believes the Stanford Prison Study was ethical)
of a behavior, and underestimating situational causes (e.g., person in
group 1 was assigned to argue that the Stanford Prison Study was ethical).
Since members of the observer group (the class) did commit this error,
answer A is not correct.