Final answer:
Dispositional attribution refers to internal traits as the cause of behavior, situational attribution to external circumstances. People often commit the fundamental attribution error, overstating dispositional factors in others' behaviors while underestimating situational ones. The actor-observer bias is a related phenomenon where we attribute our own behavior to situational factors but others' to dispositional ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
What distinguishes dispositional attribution from situational attribution is the source from which individuals infer the causes of behavior or events. Dispositional attribution is based on internal traits of an individual, while situational attribution is based on external circumstances. For example, if someone is observed to be angry, a dispositional explanation would be that the person has an irritable personality (an internal trait), whereas a situational explanation could be that the person just received some bad news (an external circumstance).
The fundamental attribution error occurs when people overemphasize dispositional factors in explaining others' behavior, often overlooking situational influences. An example of this error is assuming someone's rudeness is due to their abrasive personality rather than considering the possibility they might be having a bad day. The actor-observer bias refers to the tendency to attribute our own actions to situational factors while attributing others' actions to dispositional factors, highlighting the inclination to use different explanations for ourselves compared to others.