6A Judging and perceiving others

Person Perception

The different mental processes used to understand and form impressions of other people

Direct sources of information

Provided from the person we are judging, for example through observing them or interacting with them

Indirect sources of information

Through hearing about the person we are judging from another person or source, for exampel through a friend or reading about someone online.

First impressions

When we first meet someone, we make a snap judgement about them in less than a second, based on easily accessible perceptual information. This readily available information tends to be superficial, such as body language or appearance.

Effects of person perception on decision-making and interpersonal interactions

Decision-making: Person perception acts as a source of information when making choices, such as whether to see someone again.

Interpersonal interactions: First impressions last, and we tend to trust these ‘gut’ feelings and can treat people accordingly.

Attribution

An evaluation made about the causes of behaviour and the process of making this evaluation

The cognitive process of attribution

Step 1: Observation of an outward act of behaviour

Step 2: Conscious determination or acknowledgement of the behaviour

Step 3: Attribute causes to this observed behaviour

Internal Attribution

When we judge behaviour as being caused by something personal within an individual. For example, believing you have done badly on a test because you are stupid, rather than because you did not have enough time to learn the material.

External attribution

When we determine the cause of a behaviour as resulting from situational factors occurring outside the individual. For example, Blaming the trains running behind schedule for being late for work.

Fundamental attribution error

Our tendency to explain other people’s behaviour in terms of internal factors, while ignoring possible external factors

Effects of attribution on future actions

The way we attribute our own successes or failures can determine the way we respond to similar tasks in the future.

Effects of attributions on decision-making and interpersonal interactions

Decision making: Somebody with an external attribution style may not change their behaviour when approaching a task they have previously failed at, due to perceiving it as beyond their control.

Interpersonal interactions: Someone who frequently demonstrates the fundamental attribution error may often find themselves in conflict

Attitude

An evaluation of something, such as a person, object, event or idea.

Critea for attitude formation

1. An evaluation of something

2. Settled and stable

3. Learnt through experience

Affective component

Our emotion and intuinitive feelings towards something, reflected in our attitude

Behavioural component

Our outward and observable actions that reflect our point of view about something

Cognitive component

Our thoughts and beliefs towards something

Stereotypes

A widely held belief and generalisation about a group, such as people, animals or objects. For example, all scientists are men with grey crazy hair, glasses and a lab coat.

Problems with stereotypes

Since stereotypes are generlaisations about groups, they often lead to oversimplified and inaccurate judgements of individual people within those groups.

Effects of stereotypes on decision-making and interpersonal interactions

Decision making: Stereotypes can set personal rules for our goals, because if we believe we stereotypically fit the role for something, we may make more decisions aligning us with that goal.

Interpersonal Interactions: Stereotypes influences who we choose to interact with, and how we choose to interact with them