4.2 Social Percelption

Question 1

attribution theory

Answer 1

a description of the way in which people explain the causes of their own and other people’s behaviour.

Question 2

Why study attributions?

Answer 2

1. Because our attitudes towards people are often based on our explanations for their behaviour
   •Political views (attribution for poverty)
   •Relationships (attribution for new house mate’s grumpiness)
2. And other people’s attitudes towards us are often based on their explanations for our behaviour.

Question 3

Attributions and Reactions 5

Answer 3

Negative behaviour (A man is rude to his colleague)
-->
Dispositional Attribution
(The man is a hostile person)
-->
Unfavourable Reaction
(I don’t like this man)

Negative behaviour (A man is rude to his colleague)
-->
Situational Attribution
(The man was given an unfair evaluation)
-->
Symptomatic Reaction (I can understand)

Question 4

If you see a homless what do you think? Internal vs. external attributions

Answer 4

make judgment about mental or addiction state, oh why don’t they get a job, their just lazy (these are internal attribution, most about the perosn). Oh that person must have had a hard life/tought go (external attribution, more about the situation)

Question 5

2 Attributions (2 names for each)

Answer 5

internal = Dispositional Attribution (or traits) —> Unfavourable Reaction

external = Situational Attribution —> Symptomatic Reaction
• we don’t make both at once, pick one and go with that

Question 6

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 6

–Tendency to underestimate situational influences on behaviour, and overestimate dispositional influences.
–AKA Correspondence Bias

Question 7

Study:
Participants viewed a student giving a speech that was either pro or anti Castro
DV: Asked participants how much the speechwriter supported Castro
If we make good attributions, it should depend on if the student choose their position or if they were assigned to it

Answer 7

FAE if they assume the student think their pro wheather they choose it or not
Results: students make internal attribution and still think the people are pro even when they didn’t choose it

Question 8

Alex Tribeck effect (host of Jepordy)

Answer 8

• when asked how smart he is they rate him very high becuase he’s holding the cards and ‘knows all the answers’ so of cource he’s smart
• Questioner was deemed smarter then the contestent evey time

Question 9

Internal attribution

Answer 9

an inference that a person is behaving in a certain way because of something about him or her, such as his/her attitude, character, or personality.

Question 10

External attribution,

Answer 10

an inference that a person is behaving in a certain way because of something about the situation he or she is in; the assumption is that most people would respond the same way in that situation.

Question 11

covariation model

Answer 11

• an attribution theory in which a person tries to explain others’ or her certain behavior through multiple observations. It deals with both social perception and self-perception of the person
• In order to form an attribution about what caused a person’s behaviour, we systematically note the pattern between the presence (or absence) of possible causal factors and whether or not the behaviour occurs.

Question 12

when forming an attribution, we examine three types of information:

Answer 12

• Consensus Information
• Distinctiveness information
• Consistency information

Question 13

Consensus Information

Answer 13

is information about the extent to which other people behave the same way as the actor does toward the same stimulus
-This is when people ask themselves “do other people act this way at towards the target?”

Question 14

Distinctiveness information

Answer 14

is information about the extent to which one particular actor behaves in the same way to different stimuli.
-Do the actor and target always act this way together?

Question 15

Consistency information

Answer 15

is information about the extent to which the behaviour between one actor and one stimulus is the same across time and circumstances.
-Does this person always act this way? Or is this how the actor usually behaves?

Question 16

People are Likley to make an internal attribution if? -it was something about the boss

Answer 16

• low in consensus: the boss is the only person working in the store who yells at Hannah
• low in distinctiveness: the boss yells at all the employees
• high in consistency: The boss yells at Hannah almost every time he sees her

Question 17

People are Likley to make an external attribution if? it was something about hannah

Answer 17

• high in consensus: all the employees yell at Hannah
• high in distinctiveness: the boss doesn’t yells at any other employees
• high in consistency: The boss yells at Hannah almost every time he sees her

Question 18

People think the boss yelling at hanna is peculiar if:

Answer 18

low in consistency: The boss has never yelled at Hannah

Question 19

Attributions are 2 step process

Answer 19

• First, we make an internal attribution, assuming the person’s behaviour is caused by something about that person
• Second, we attempt to adjust this attribution by considering the situation the person was in.

Question 20

Attributions are 2 step process

Answer 20

• First, we make an internal attribution, assuming the person’s behaviour is caused by something about that person
• Second, we attempt to adjust this attribution by considering the situation the person was in.