Attribution Theory and Student Lateness

In a social psychology experiment, researchers presented participants with a scenario where they observed a fellow student arriving late to class. The observers had differing opinions about the reasons behind the student's tardiness. Some attributed the lateness to external factors, such as heavy traffic or public transportation delays, while others blamed the student’s personal traits, like irresponsibility or lack of punctuality. This variance in perception reflects essential concepts from attribution theory.

Which of the following statements most accurately describes how attribution theory categorizes these differing perspectives on the cause of the student’s lateness?