Question

according to the textbook, regardless of whether a student was told a debater chose their stance or was given that side of the argument, students believed their arguments were reflective of how the debater truly felt. which of the below answers best relates to the described scenario? question 9 options: a) situational attributions because the student is the actor b) actor-observer effect c) situational attributions because the student is the observer d) self-serving bias

Answer 1

The best answer to the question is (b) actor-observer effect, as it describes the tendency of making dispositional attributions for others' behaviors while ignoring situational factors.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the textbook scenario, regardless of whether a student was told a debater chose their stance or was given that side of the argument, students believed their arguments were reflective of how the debater truly felt. This is an example of the actor-observer bias, where people tend to attribute others' behaviors to their dispositions, while they attribute their own behaviors to situational factors. Thus, the answer to the question of why students believed debaters' arguments reflect their true feelings, despite the situational influence, would be best explained by (b) actor-observer effect, as the student is the observer in this scenario.

When considering the available choices, option (b) actor-observer effect best relates to the described scenario, where observers of the debate underestimated the situational influence (being assigned a stance) and attributed the debaters' arguments to their personal beliefs.