Attribution & Biases
This theory explains how people interpret causes of behavior.
What is attribution theory?
A belief about a group of people.
What is a stereotype?
Changing behavior to match the group.
What is conformity?
Improved performance when others are watching (on easy tasks).
What is social facilitation?
Helping behavior with no expectation of reward.
What is altruism?
A person working with the researcher who poses as a participant but whose actions and responses are predefined.
What is a confederate?
Two students become close friends after being assigned seats next to each other all year. Over time, they begin to develop romantic feelings. This best illustrates which concept in attraction?
What is the mere exposure effect?
Blaming someone’s personality instead of the situation is called this type of attribution.
What is dispositional attribution?
An unfair attitude toward a group.
What is prejudice?
Changing one's behavior in direct response to a request from another person or group
What is compliance?
Putting in less effort when working in a group.
What is social loafing?
Helping behavior in general.
What is prosocial behavior?
This researcher demonstrated high levels of obedience by having participants deliver what they believed were electric shocks.
Who is Stanley Milgram?
A student who never studies says, “Nobody in this class actually studies for tests,” even though most of the class does. This is an example of:
What is the false consensus effect?
When we blame others’ actions on their character but blame our own on the situation.
What is actor-observer bias?
Unfair behavior toward a group.
What is discrimination?
Following direct orders from an authority figure.
What is obedience?
Loss of self-awareness and restraint in a group.
What is deindividuation?
The idea that people should help those who need help.
What is the social responsibility norm?
In the Stanford Prison Experiment, guards’ abusive behavior best supports which explanation for behavior: dispositional or situational?
What is situational?
A student publicly argues against cheating but later cheats on a test. To reduce psychological discomfort, he convinces himself “everyone cheats anyway.” This process is known as:
What is cognitive dissonance?
The tendency to overestimate personality and underestimate situational factors when judging others.
What is the fundamental attribution error?
The tendency to favor your own group.
What is in-group bias?
Persuasion that uses strong arguments and thoughtful processing.
What is central route persuasion?
When group discussion strengthens the group’s original leanings.
What is group polarization?
When people are less likely to help in a group.
What is the bystander effect?
A participant in Asch’s study knows the group’s answer is wrong but goes along with it to avoid standing out. This specifically demonstrates:
What is normative social influence?
Blaming fate, luck, or other people reflects this type of control.
What is external locus of control?
Explaining successes as internal and failures as external.
What is self-serving bias?
Holding onto beliefs even after evidence disproves them.
What is belief perseverance?
Agreeing to a small request to increase the likelihood of agreeing to a larger one later.
What is the foot-in-the-door technique?
When the desire for harmony overrides realistic decision-making.
What is groupthink?
When individuals feel less personal responsibility in a group.
What is diffusion of responsibility?
A student fails a test and says, “I’m just bad at everything.” This reflects a ______ explanatory style.
What is pessimistic explanatory style?
A teacher assumes a well-dressed, confident student is also intelligent and hardworking before seeing any of their work. This assumption influences how the teacher grades and interacts with the student. Identify the social psychology concept at work.
What is the Halo Effect?