Perception and Individual Decision Making

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to perception and individual decision-making discussed in the lecture.

Perception

A process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions to give meaning to their environment.

Three factors influencing perception

The perceiver, the target, and the situation.

Attribution Theory

A theoretical framework trying to explain behavior in terms of internal versus external causes.

Internally caused behavior

Behavior that is a result of personal actions or decisions, within one's control.

External causes

Factors that influence behavior which occur outside of a person's control.

Distinctiveness

How a person's behavior differs across various situations.

Consensus

How similarly other individuals behave in comparable situations.

Consistency

The extent to which a person responds the same way over time.

Availability Bias

The tendency for people to base their judgments on information that is easily accessible.

Utilitarianism

A moral philosophy that promotes actions that maximize well-being and produce the greatest good for the greatest number.

Bounded Rationality

A decision-making process that constructs simplified models that extract essential features from problems without capturing all complexity.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute positive events to one's own character but attribute negative events to external factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others' behavior.

Stereotype

A widely held but oversimplified belief or idea about a particular group of people.