When the saleswoman doesn't reply to his "hello," Mario concludes that she is simply a cold person.Yet the next day when Mario doesn't reply to the saleswoman who does greet him,he realizes that he is just having a bad day.What does this scenario illustrate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the actor-observer effect, which is the tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational or external factors (such as having a bad day), while attributing others' behavior to dispositional or internal factors (such as being a cold person). Mario initially makes a dispositional attribution about the saleswoman's behavior, but when he experiences a similar situation himself, he realizes that situational factors can also affect behavior.

When the Saleswoman Doesn't Reply to His "Hello," Mario Concludes