Final answer:
Explaining behavior based on external factors is known as b. external attribution. This contrasts with internal attribution, which is based on personal traits. These concepts are pertinent to understanding how we interpret our own behavior and that of others, including biases like the fundamental attribution error and actor-observer bias.
Step-by-step explanation:
Explaining a person's behavior based on factors outside the person and beyond their control, such as natural disasters, illness, or faulty equipment, is referred to as external attribution. The concept contrasts with internal attribution, where behaviors are ascribed to a person's characteristics or choices. The fundamental attribution error highlights a common human tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and underestimate situational influences when evaluating others' behaviors. For example, if someone is observed being rude, an observer might instantly conclude the person has a hostile disposition, neglecting possible external factors like having had a bad day.
Conversely, when we explain our own behaviors, we usually account for the situational factors—we understand the external pressures we face. This discrepancy gives rise to what is known as the actor-observer bias, wherein one attributes their behavior to situational factors but others' behavior to inherent traits. This bias can reflect varying degrees in different cultures, as individualistic societies tend to make more dispositional attributions compared to collectivistic societies that consider communal and situational factors more heavily.