The difference between an observer's tendency to make internal attributions and the actor's tendency to make external attributions about the same event is known as the actor-observer bias. Another attribution error people commonly make is due to a self-serving bias. People tend to explain their own failures with external causes and their own success with internal causes. This is called a defensive attribution, because making an internal attribution allows us to feel that the negative event is less likely to happen to ourselves. In general, a stable internal attribution references skill, while an unstable internal attribution references effort.
Attributions play a big role in revealing how people perceive themselves and others.
Also, the way a person tends to make attributions has been shown to affect confidence, health, and marriage relations. Clearly, attributions are a very important aspect of social psychology.