Attribution Theory
Explanations for behavior and mental processes
What are attributions?
A generalized concept about a group
What is a stereotype?
The expectations and roles a society has for its members in individual and social situations.
What are social norms?
Contains thoughts, memories, and desires outside of conscious awareness
What is the unconscious mind?
Emphasizes the interaction between personal, behavioral, and environmental factors in shaping personality
What is social-cognitive theory?
Occurs when people are exposed to a stimulus repeatedly over time, leading to increased liking.
What is mere-exposure effect?
Favoring members of one's own group over others
What is in-group bias?
A type of peripheral persuasion route where one positive trait influences overall perception
What is the halo effect?
Refusing to acknowledge reality.
What is denial?
Overall sense of self-worth or personal value.
What is self-esteem?
Relate to external circumstances
What are situational attributions?
The persistence of a belief despite evidence suggesting it is not accurate
What is belief perseverance?
Start with a large request, followed by a smaller one.
What is door in the face technique?
Channeling unacceptable impulses into acceptable activities
What is sublimation?
Tendency to be compassionate and cooperative is which one of the Big Five traits?
What is agreeableness?
How people explain good and bad events in their lives and others’
What is explanatory style?
To lessen cognitive dissonance one adjusts beliefs to align with actions. An example would be deciding smoking isn’t as harmful as believed to reduce discomfort.
What is changing attitudes?
Emphasizes group goals and social harmony
What is collectivism?
Interpreting inkblots to uncover unconscious thoughts
What is the Rorschach Inkblot Test.
Statistical method used to organize item responses into traits.
What is factor analysis?
Overestimating the role of dispositional factors in others' behaviors
What is fundamental attribution error?
Perceiving members of an out-group as more similar to each other than in-group members.
What is out-group homogeneity bias?
Anonymity in a crowd leading to aggressive behavior is an example of this group influence?
What is deindividuation?
Acting in a manner opposite to one’s true feelings
What is reaction formation?
The idea that personal factors, behavior, and the environment interact to shape personality.
What is reciprocal determinism?