大多数人都是严以律人，宽以待己

要想理解归因这个概念，我们来想象一下：一位新朋友和你约了喝咖啡，但后来取消了这次计划。你会认为是有什么不可抗的事情发生了呢？还是认为这个新朋友自己有问题呢？那些研究归因的心理学家关注的就是你会如何回答这个问题。

Edward Jones and Keith Davis developed the correspondent inference theory. This theory suggests that if someone behaves in a socially desirable way, we do not tend to infer much about them as a person.
爱德华·琼斯和吉斯·戴维斯则发展出了一套理论：相互推测理论。这个理论认为：如果一个人表现出来的行为是社会希望看到的，我们就不会对这个人本身做出太多推测。

For example, if you ask your friend for a pencil and she gives one to you, you are not likely to infer much about your friend's character from the behavior, because most people would do the same thing in a given situation—it is the socially desirable response.
比如，你向你的一个朋友借一支铅笔，而她借给你了，你就不会因为这个行为而对你朋友的性格做出太多推测，因为大部分人在这个情况下都会这么做，这是社会期望看到的行为。

However, if your friend refuses to allow you to borrow a pencil, you are likely to infer something about her innate characteristics due to this socially undesirable response.
而如果你的朋友拒绝借给你铅笔，你就可能开始对她的性格进行推测了，因为这种行为是社会不希望看到的。

Also according to this theory, we do not tend to conclude much about an individual's internal motivation if they’re acting in a particular social role.
这个理论还指出，如果一个人做出的行为是符合他的社会角色的，那我们通常也不会对他的动机做太多推测。

For example, a salesperson might be friendly and outgoing at work, but because such a demeanor is part of the job requirements, we will not attribute the behavior to an innate characteristic.
比如，一名售货员工作时可能表现得友好又外向，但这是他们工作的要求，所以我们也不会把这些行为和他们本人的性格挂钩。
另一方面，如果一个人做出的行为并不是一个社交场景中的典型行为，我们就更可能把他们的行为归因于他们自身的性格。

比如，如果我们看到一个人在一个喧闹的环境中表现得很安静，那我们通常就会认为他们是内向的人。

当我们试图判断别人的意图时，我们并不总是准确的。实际上，心理学家们已经发现了两种常见的主要误差。

Fundamental Attribution Error, 基本归因谬误

which refers to the tendency to over-emphasize the role of personal traits in shaping behaviors. For example, if someone is rude to you, you may assume that they’re generally a rude person, rather than assuming that they were under stress that day.
它指的是过于看重个人特质在塑造行为时的作用。比如，如果一个人对你很粗鲁，你可能会认为这就是个粗鲁的人，而不会想他们当天可能承受了压力。
Self-Serving Bias, 自利性偏差

which refers to the tendency to give ourselves credit when things go well, but blame the situation or bad luck when things go poorly. What’s notable is that: according to recent research, people who are experiencing depression may not show the self-serving bias, and may even experience a reverse bias.
它指的是，当事情顺利的时候把功劳归于自己，而在事情不顺利的时候把原因归于环境和运气。值得注意的是：根据最新的研究，患有自闭症的人可能不会发生自利性偏差，他们甚至会出现完全相反的现象。