actual 74 psych

social psychology

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

attribution theory

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

dispositional attribution

attributing behavior to the person’s stable, enduring traits

situational attribution

attributing behavior to the environment

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

culture and attribution

people in individualist cultures are more likely to make dispositional attributions, while those in East Asian cultures are more sensitive to situational influences

self-serving bias (related concept)

the tendency for people to attribute their successes to internal factors and their failures to external factors

attitude

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

peripheral route persuasion

persuasion that occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

central route persuasion

persuasion that occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

cognitive dissonance theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent; we can reduce dissonance by changing our attitudes

attitudes affect actions

attitudes are more likely to affect behavior when external influences are minimal, the attitude is specific, and the attitude is easily recalled

actions affect attitudes

not only do we stand up for what we believe, we also come to believe more strongly in what we have stood up for

Napolitan and Goethals 1979

students judged a woman’s personality based on her behavior even when told she was acting, demonstrating the fundamental attribution error

fish study cultural difference

Americans focused on individual fish while Japanese participants focused on the entire scene, showing cultural differences in attention and attribution

observer perspective experiment

people viewing themselves from another person’s perspective are more likely to attribute their own behavior to dispositional factors

suntanning study

vivid information about skin cancer risk led participants to reduce tanning behavior, showing attitudes can influence actions

Freedman and Fraser 1966

people who agreed to a small request (window sign) were far more likely to agree to a larger request (yard sign), demonstrating the foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Korean War prisoners example

small acts of compliance gradually increased, leading prisoners to adopt attitudes consistent with their behavior

Stanford Prison Experiment Zimbardo 1972

participants assigned as guards or prisoners adopted their roles, with guards becoming abusive and prisoners becoming distressed, demonstrating the power of situation and roles

role playing effect

what begins as play-acting in the theater of life can become genuine attitudes and behavior

cognitive dissonance example

when people freely choose to act against their beliefs, they often change their attitudes to reduce dissonance

person situation interaction

behavior emerges from the interaction of both personal traits and the situation

persuasion durability

attitudes formed through the central route are more durable and resistant to change than those formed through the peripheral route

charleston shooting attribution example

people differ in whether they attribute behavior to personal disposition or situational factors, affecting judgments and responses

poverty attribution example

political conservatives are more likely to attribute poverty to personal traits, while liberals are more likely to attribute it to situational factors