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1. Can you think of any current events that seem to illustrate the actor-observer difference in attribution? That is, are there any events, controversies, or conflicts being covered in the news in which one "side" is offering situational explanations of its behavior and the other side is offering a dispositional account of that very same behavior?

2. Tell yourself a dispositional tale of your life—that is, how you got to where and who you are right now by virtue of your personal characteristics, traits, and decisions. Try to describe, in other words, the ways in which, if you weren't just the kind of person you are, you would not be where you are today, doing the kinds of things you are doing. After telling yourself that tale and letting it sink in, now tell a situational tale of your life-that is, how you got to where and who you are by virtue of the intervention of others, external circumstances, or simple chance. Which tale is more compelling or are they equally compelling? What does this tell you about the causes of human behavior?

3. From what you've read, either in the newspapers, for one of your classes, or from your general reading, who would you say were the most and least liked U.S. presidents in recent times? What would you say were their "attributional styles"? Does there appear to be any relationship between attributional style and popularity?

4. In what ways do the "role conferred self-presentational advantages" explored in the quiz-game study help to boost the impressions made by the professors in your university? What specific self-presentational advantages do they enjoy?

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