Which bias describes attributing others' actions to personal characteristics rather than situational factors?

• A. Fundamental attribution error
• B. Self-serving bias
• C. Hindsight bias
• D. Confirmation bias

Answer: (A)

This describes attributing others' actions to their personality rather than to the situation. It’s the tendency to see someone’s behavior as due to who they are, while underestimating how external factors or context influenced what happened. For example, if someone cuts you off in traffic, you might label them as aggressive or inconsiderate instead of considering they might be rushing to an emergency or dealing with a stressful moment. This bias highlights how we often misread others by emphasizing character over circumstance.

Self-serving bias centers on our own outcomes, crediting successes to ourselves and failures to outside factors, so it doesn’t capture how we judge others. Hindsight bias makes events seem predictable after they occur, not about attributions of others’ behavior. Confirmation bias involves seeking information that confirms preconceptions, not about attributing actions to personality versus situation.