If a person performs poorly in many different situations, the tendency is to attribute the person's poor performance to external causes; but if the person performs poorly only occasionally, the tendency is to attribute the person's poor performance to internal causes.

This statement is reversed according to the fundamental attribution error, which suggests that people tend to attribute others' behaviors to internal causes (character or intention) rather than considering external factors, especially when evaluating negative outcomes. When someone consistently performs poorly, observers might be more inclined to attribute this to internal factors (like lack of skill or effort), whereas occasional poor performance might be more easily attributed to external circumstances (like bad luck or difficult conditions).