4.1 Attribution Theory & Person Perception
Explaining someone’s behavior as caused by their personality instead of the situation is called this type of attribution.
Dispositional attribution
A generalized belief about a group of people is called a:
Stereotype
Unwritten rules that guide behavior in social settings are called:
Social norms
The psychodynamic approach emphasizes the influence of this on personality.
The unconscious mind
Bandura’s theory emphasizes interactions between behavior, environment, and personal factors.
Reciprocal determinism
When people overemphasize personal traits and underestimate situational factors when judging others’ behavior, they show this bias.
Fundamental attribution error
Unconscious attitudes people may not be aware of holding are called:
Implicit attitudes
People are more likely to help when alone than when in a group because of:
Diffusion of responsibility (bystander effect explanation)
Unconscious strategies that protect the ego from anxiety are called:
Defense mechanisms
Belief in one’s ability to succeed at a task is called:
Self-efficacy
A student blames bad test grades on “bad luck,” but takes credit for good grades.
Self-serving bias
When people seek out information that supports what they already believe, they show:
Confirmation bias
When groups make more extreme decisions than individuals would alone, this is:
Group polarization
A person who redirects anger from their boss onto a family member is showing:
Displacement
The Big Five trait associated with organization and responsibility is:
Conscientiousness
When repeated exposure to a stimulus increases liking for it, this effect is occurring.
Mere exposure effect
Feeling psychological discomfort when behavior conflicts with beliefs is known as:
Cognitive dissonance
Wanting group harmony so badly that poor decisions go unchallenged is called:
Groupthink
A person denies an upsetting medical diagnosis.
Denial
Personality inventories using factor analysis often measure this model.
Big Five personality traits
A teacher assumes a student is lazy, treats them coldly, and the student eventually disengages from class, confirming the teacher’s belief.
Self-fulfilling prophecy
Even after a study disproves a claim, people continue believing it. This is an example of:
Belief perseverance
A persuasive speaker uses facts and strong arguments to change attitudes.
Central route to persuasion
A student who feels anxious about failing a test unconsciously blocks the memory of past failures to reduce distress.
Repression
A student avoids speaking in class due to low confidence, leading to fewer positive experiences, reinforcing the belief.
Reciprocal determinism (self-concept loop)