Question

When I cheat a little and let my kids eat tortillas out of the package in the grocery store, I tell myself that I can't really help it because kids can't control their hunger like adults. However, when I bring in my neighbor's garbage can, I tell myself that I am a good neighbor and not that I feel guilty that they brought our can in last week. This thinking illustrates the

a) Self-serving bias
b) Confirmation bias
c) Fundamental attribution error
d) Cognitive dissonance

Answer 1

The scenario described by the student illustrates the self-serving bias, where one attributes positive events to their character and negative events to external factors, thus maintaining self-esteem.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question describes a scenario where their reasoning for specific behaviors reflects a certain psychological principle. In one instance, where the student justifies letting their kids eat tortillas in a store because they 'can't control their hunger,' and in another, where they praise themselves as a good neighbor for bringing in a neighbor's garbage can without acknowledging the possible influence of guilt or reciprocation, we can identify a cognitive bias. This is specifically called the self-serving bias, which is a tendency to attribute positive events to our own character but attribute negative events to external factors. It protects self-esteem and our sense of self-worth. In this instance, the student is attributing the good deed to their own character, but they are attributing a less socially acceptable behavior (letting their kids eat before purchasing) to factors out of their control (the children's inability to control hunger).