Which is likely to have the greatest impact on a student in adulthood: holding negative attributions, being non-strategic, being unable to generalize or transfer learning, processing information inefficiently or incorrectly, or possessing poor social skills?

All of the possibilities provided have applications in adult life, so a strong case could be made for any of them. The item that seems to correspond most closely to the change in status from student to adult, which usually means becoming a working person, is the ability to generalize or transfer what one has learned. Even though information that a student acquires may seem specialized or academic, it also is likely to have practical applications. Being able to connect what one learns in the classroom to “real-life” situations outside school is a necessary skill with widespread applications.
Examples to support this assertion could be drawn from various academic subjects. Critical thinking is one of the most important skills that adults use constantly. Reading complex information and analyzing key ideas is a central component of studying humanities subjects such as literature and history.
Classic literary texts offer fictional examples of characters placed in difficult circumstances; analyzing characters’ behavior in such challenging situations can offer potentially useful insights. For example, the hero’s quest is a standard theme through many literary traditions. Characters who might seem vastly different, such as Odysseus and Jane Eyre, can be examined for their underlying similarities through the lens of the hero’s quest. Thinking about what provides people with the strength to overcome obstacles and endure hardship can be applied to the challenges that one faces.
Transferring historical knowledge is another useful skill that begins in school. Learning about history acquaints a student with the kinds of issues that people have considered important enough to fight over, whether with weapons or words (via laws). Understanding the reasons for conflict, as well as how they were solved, is crucial to taking one’s role as a citizen of one’s own country or the world. In the United States, issues of civil and human rights continue to be hotly debated. The military conflicts of the Civil War and the peaceful protests and legal reforms of the civil rights movement occurred a century apart; analyzing their relationship to each other and the legacy of both for Americans today requires the ability to transfer academic knowledge to contemporary issues that affect everyone’s daily life.