Question

_____ assumes that when our attitudes are weak or ambiguous, we infer them by looking at our behavior and the circumstances under which it occurs. In other words, we deduce our attitudes in the same manner as would an outside observer.

Answer 1

The concept in question is the actor-observer bias, which highlights how we attribute our own behaviors to situational factors while attributing others' behaviors to dispositional factors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concept being described is the actor-observer bias, which suggests that individuals explain their own behavior in terms of situational factors but tend to explain other people’s behavior in terms of dispositional or internal factors. This tendency can lead to the fundamental attribution error, wherein we overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the influence of situations when explaining the behaviors of others. The actor-observer bias is a psychological phenomenon that reveals how we perceive and interpret our own actions versus those of others, highlighting the cognitive processes involved in attitude formation and social perception. Self-Perception Theory, proposed by psychologist Daryl Bem, suggests that people infer their attitudes or beliefs by observing their own behavior in a given context when their attitudes are weak or ambiguous. Individuals deduce their attitudes based on their actions and the circumstances surrounding those actions, similar to how an external observer might assess their behavior. This theory contrasts with the idea that attitudes primarily drive behavior and proposes that behavior can shape attitudes, especially when internal cues are unclear or weak.