Final answer:
The actor-observer bias refers to the tendency to attribute our own behavior to situational factors and others' behavior to dispositional factors, highlighting a difference in perspective based on whether one is the actor or the observer in a situation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon where actors are sensitive to environmental events and attribute their own behaviors to situational forces, while as observers they attribute others' behaviors to dispositional causes, is known as the actor-observer bias. This is a psychological concept which demonstrates that people have a tendency to view their own actions as a result of circumstances, whereas they see others' actions as reflective of their character or personality. It's important to note that the fundamental attribution error is a related concept where people overemphasize personality-based explanations for the behavior of others, while self-serving bias refers to the tendency to attribute our own successes to internal factors and our failures to external factors.
When actors provide explanations for their own behavior, they tend to focus on situational influences. In stark contrast, observers are prone to attribute behavior to the person's stable dispositional influences. This underestimation of the situational impact on others' behaviors occurs because observers often lack the full context surrounding the individual's actions.