Final answer:
Option (1), The fundamental attribution error is a cognitive bias where people overemphasize personal traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behavior, particularly in individualistic cultures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fundamental Attribution Error Explained
The fundamental attribution error is a common cognitive bias in social psychology where a person tends to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behavior. For example, if someone is rude, we might think they are naturally impolite rather than considering they might be having a bad day.
This tendency to bias towards dispositional explanations occurs even when situational factors are likely the root cause. The fundamental attribution error can be significant in individualistic cultures which emphasize personal achievement and autonomy, where behaviors are often attributed to personal dispositions rather than situational contexts.
Social Influence on Behavior
Understanding human behavior requires examining both situational and dispositional factors. While situational influences relate to environmental factors affecting behavior, dispositional influences involve internal characteristics like personality. The fundamental attribution error often leads to misinterpretation of actions, as people default to dispositional explanations due to the lack of information about the situation.
In contrast to this bias, when explaining our own behavior, we often have more information and tend to attribute our actions to situational factors, showing a form of self-awareness known as the actor-observer bias.