If behavior is assumed to be caused by external characteristics, this is known as __________.

Question

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A situational cause refers to behavior being caused by external factors such as the environment or circumstances. This is in contrast to a dispositional cause which suggests that behavior is caused by internal characteristics such as personality traits. The fundamental attribution error refers to the tendency to overemphasize dispositional causes and underestimate situational causes when evaluating the behavior of others. The actor-observer bias is the tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational causes while attributing the behavior of others to dispositional causes.

If Behavior Is Assumed to Be Caused by External Characteristics