Concepts
Health psychology/Cognitive biases · Social cognition
Fundamental attribution error
What it means
Over-attributing another person’s behaviour to their character/disposition, while under-weighting their situation or context.
Worked example
Blaming a "non-compliant" diabetic without considering poverty, literacy or access.
In the exam
A patient who misses appointments and "won’t take responsibility" is judged feckless, with no thought to his homelessness and chaotic circumstances.
What settles it
Fundamental attribution error is the OBSERVER half alone — over-attributing others’ behaviour to character. The actor–observer bias adds the contrast that we excuse our OWN identical behaviour as situational.
Classically confused with
Actor–observer bias
Source: Ross; social psychology