Lecture 2

Question 1

What effect can schemas have when interpreting ambiguous information?

Answer 1

A biasing effect depending on what the schema is leading us to see

Question 2

Outline the Hostile Media Phenomenon

Answer 2

• An example of the bias a schema can cause us

- People thought the media portrayed their side e.g. political party more negatively than their opponents side

Question 3

What effect can schemas have when searching for information?

Answer 3

• Another biasing effect
• Participants were asked to question a person and find out if they were introverted/extroverted/neutral. They were given one to find out. Depending on this influenced what questions they asked the individual
• Their schemas of I/E/N people lead them to look for values associated with these in the individual

Question 4

Outline the self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 4

You produce the same info you look for

Question 5

What effect can schemas have on Cognitive Stability?

Answer 5

• Schemas make the world look more stable than it is
• In a study participants took a ‘test’ to reveal their social sensitivity. They were randomly given positive or negative results.
• Participants were debriefed that the results were forged.
• When asked to predict how well they actually did and how well they would do in a future test, those with negative first test results had lower self scores (vice versa)
• Shows that info persists in your mind despite being discounted

Question 6

Describe Heider’s “naive psychology” approach

Answer 6

• Said we are driven to determine causes of others’ behaviours in effort to predict and control their environment
• We can attribute behaviour to internal or external factors

Question 7

True or False

External attributions allow better prediction of future behaviour

Answer 7

FALSE

Internal attribution allows better prediction of future behaviour

Question 8

Behaviour is informative about internal states when it….

Answer 8

1. has fewer ‘non-common effects’ (fewer unique consequences)
2. Has fewer alternative causes (confounding)
3. Violates social norms - because social norms provide explanations for behaviour
4. Is unexpected or counter-schematic
5. Is negative
6. Has impact on the perceiver (hedonic relevance)
7. Is intentional and freely chosen (personalism)

Question 9

What is hedonic relevance?

Answer 9

Causes significant or emotional impact on the receiver

Question 10

In Kelly’s Covariation Model, attributions depend on the assessment of information source of what three things?

Answer 10

1. Consistency
2. Distinctiveness
3. Consensus

Question 11

Describe Consistency

Answer 11

Does the actor behave in this way ACROSS DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, or only in this situation?

Question 12

Describe Distinctiveness

Answer 12

Does the actor behave this way towards ALL TARGETS, or only to this target?

Question 13

Describe Consensus

Answer 13

Do OTHER ACTORS behave this way TOWARDS THE TARGET, or only to this actor?

Question 14

When you don’t have information over time when making attributions what must you take into account?

Answer 14

1. Discounting principle = discounting the validity of other causes based on info which gives evidence to direct to cause
2. Augmenting principle = role of a potential cause is enhanced in the presence of other inhibiting factors

Question 15

Finish the sentence

Depending on the way we attribute behaviour impacts….

Answer 15

The emotional response

Question 16

What do people do to make others see the best in them?

Answer 16

They adjust their behaviour

Question 17

Describe self-handicapping

Answer 17

People intentionally sabotage their behaviour to manage attributional consequences of the actual cause of behaviour
e.g. didn’t do well on a test because dusty, but really it’s because they don’t understand the test