What is the fundamental attribution error? How is it different and how is it the same as the actor-observer bias?

What is the fundamental attribution error? How is it different and how is it the same as the actor-observer bias?

Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency for observers to underestimate situational influences and overestimate dispositional influences upon others' behaviour

We tend to take credit for our successes and avoid blame for our failures. In the language of attribution, we make dispositional attributions for our successes but situational attributions for our failure (I failed my psych exam because the prof is horrible, but I did well on my sociology exam because I'm smart). Another consistent finding is that when we are observing the behaviour of others we tend to overestimate the dispositional influences on them and underestimate the situational influences. This is called the fundamental attribution error.


Actor-Observer: When we are the actor, we tend to attribute behaviour to the environment, whereas when we observe others, we tend to underestimate the impact of the environment.

Same because in both cases we are taking credit for successes but avoiding blame for failures, however different because in fundamental attribution error is more general and is not specific to us or to others, where as actor-observer takes into account whether its us or if it's another party, as our behaviour changes accordingly.