What commands our attention as we shop for groceries each week is the environment around us,such as the number of people in front of us at the checkout counter.Yet when we watch another person's behavior at the grocery store,he or she,rather than the environment,occupies the center of our attention.As a result,we tend to engage in the attribution error.That is we are irritable because the lines are long,but the other person is cantankerous because he or she is an unhappy person.What explanation below best explains this use of the fundamental attribution error?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The actor-observer difference refers to the tendency to explain other people's behavior based on their personality traits, while explaining our own behavior based on situational factors. In the given scenario, we are the observers and tend to attribute the behavior of other people to their personality traits, while ignoring the situational factors such as a long wait at the checkout counter. This is a classic example of the fundamental attribution error.

What Commands Our Attention as We Shop for Groceries Each