:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
The valence pattern that actually showed up — blaming circumstance for your failures, claiming credit for your successes — looks like self-serving bias, which is how Malle reads it — though he offers that as a suggestion rather than a finding. The famous double standard is real; the theory named for it was the wrong theory.
Side by side
| Aspect | Actor-observer bias | Self-serving bias |
|---|---|---|
| Predicts | Split by vantage point | Split by valence |
| Meta-analytic support | Near zero | Solid |
| Explains the data | Poorly | Well |
| Still taught | Widely | Widely |
What each one means
Actor-observer bias is the proposed tendency to explain your own behaviour by your circumstances while explaining other people's identical behaviour by their personality — a claim that largely did not survive testing.
Full definition of Actor-Observer Bias →Self-serving bias is crediting your successes to your own ability and effort while blaming your failures on bad luck, other people, or circumstances.
Full definition of Self-Serving Bias →