People default to explaining others’ acts through the actor’s disposition

Evidence

Social psychological studies of causal explanations have traditionally been based on the distinction between “internal” and “external” attributions (e.g., Jones et al., 1972). In particular, when ordinary people observe an act by an individual, they tend to center their causal explanations on particular attributes or dispositions of the actor (i.e., internal attribution) as opposed to situational causes (Gilbert, 1998). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 111

Categorization

• XREF: The fundamental attribution error claim that the reader’s Allport thread on prejudice psychology will likely complicate or qualify for outgroup members.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 111