This effect, as we have already mentioned at the beginning, has been highly supported and demonstrated by empirical evidence. In this case, when we speak of the 'actor' we refer to 'ourselves', and when we speak of the 'observer' we refer to 'the others' hence the name of the effect. This effect was made known by two authors: Jones and Nisbett, in 1972. The actor-observer effect is a psychological phenomenon studied in social psychology, which consists of a general tendency for people to attribute their own actions to situational or external factors, and the actions of others to stable personal dispositions (that is, to internal factors).

Related article: 'Cognitive biases: discovering an interesting psychological effect'Īctor-observer effect: what does it consist of?.

We are going to see what this effect consists of, as well as its characteristics, explanations and limitations. This effect has been supported by empirical evidence, and maintains that we tend to attribute the causes of behaviors in different ways, depending on whether we are talking about our behaviors or those of others. One of these biases is the so-called actor-observer effect, widely studied in social psychology.

Motivation hypothesis (self-concept)Īttributional biases are biases or distortions that make us make certain mistakes when explaining the origin of a behavior. Actor-observer effect: what does it consist of?.

Define actorobserver bias in psychology