Category: General Knowledge | Last updated: 2026-09-18

When a colleague misses a deadline, you assume it's due to their laziness or poor time management. However, when you miss a deadline, you attribute it to unforeseen circumstances or an excessive workload. This common tendency to explain other people's behavior based on internal factors and one's own behavior based on external situational factors is known as which cognitive bias?

A) Fundamental Attribution Error
B) Self-Serving Bias
C) Actor-Observer Bias
D) Hindsight Bias

Explanation

The Actor-Observer Bias describes the tendency to attribute one's own actions to external causes, while attributing other people's behaviors to internal causes. While related to Fundamental Attribution Error, Actor-Observer Bias specifically highlights this contrasting attribution for one's own versus others' actions.

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