Final answer:
In Kelley's covariation model of attribution, the factor 'How do others behave in the same situation?' refers to consensus information, which helps in determining if a behavior is due to situational or dispositional factors. It is related to the concept of the fundamental attribution error or actor-observer bias, where we often attribute others' actions to their dispositions and our own to the situation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The factor in Kelley's covariation model of attribution that asks 'How do others behave in the same situation?' is known as consensus information. This model suggests that we make attributions based on three kinds of information: consensus, distinctiveness, and consistency. Consensus information specifically examines whether other people behave in the same way in a similar situation, which can help determine if a behavior is due to external (situational) factors or internal (dispositional) factors.
For example, if a student discovers that others are also upset with a particular teaching method, they might attribute their dissatisfaction to the method itself (a high consensus, situational cause) rather than to their own disposition. On the other hand, if most students are content with the method, the student might consider their dissatisfaction to be more dispositional.
The tendency to underestimate the influence of the situation and to overestimate the role of personal factors is known as the fundamental attribution error or the actor-observer bias, where we attribute someone else's behavior to their character or personality (dispositional factors) while attributing our own behaviors to the situation (situational factors).