The actor-observer asymmetry in attribution
A (surprising) meta-analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4419895 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bertram F Malle (0000-0003-0845-9601, University of Oregon, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 132 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 895-919 |
| Publication date | 2006-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Bulletin (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2909 • E-ISSN: 1939-1455 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.895 |
| PMID | 17073526 |
| OpenAlex | W1973299518 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 113 |
| References cited | 102 |
The actor-observer hypothesis (E. E. Jones & R. E. Nisbett, 1971) states that people tend to explain their own behavior with situation causes and other people's behavior with person causes. Widely known in psychology, this asymmetry has been described as robust, firmly established, and pervasive. However, a meta-analysis on 173 published studies revealed average effect sizes from d = -0.016 to d = 0.095. A moderator analysis showed that the asymmetry held only when the actor was portrayed as highly idiosyncratic, when hypothetical events were explained, when actor and observer were intimates, or when free-response explanations were coded. In addition, the asymmetry held for negative events, but a reverse asymmetry held for positive events. This valence effect may indicate a self-serving pattern in attribution, but across valence, no actor-observer asymmetry exists
Asymmetry · Attribution · Cognitive psychology · Meta-analysis · Moderation · Observer (physics) · Physics · Valence (chemistry) · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 113 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5,95 |
| Citation span | 2007 - 2026 (20) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | Yes |
| Citation types | Neutral: 97 |