Attribution Theory, Person Perception, and Social Psychology

These flashcards cover key concepts related to attribution theory, person perception, social psychology, and personality theories in preparation for an exam.

What does Attribution Theory explore?

How we explain behavior, both our own and others', including internal and external attributions.

What are internal attributions?

Dispositional attributions that connect behavior to internal qualities like intelligence or personality. (traits)

What are situational attributions?

Attributions that link behavior to external circumstances the person experiences.

Give an example of a dispositional attribution.

A student fails a test because they are not smart enough.

Give an example of a situational attribution.

A student fails a test because the test was too difficult.

What is an optimistic explanatory style?

Attributes good events to internal, stable, global causes and bad events to external, unstable, specific causes.

Provide an example of an optimistic explanatory style for a good event.

I got an A on the test because I'm smart and studied hard.

What is the actor-observer bias?

The tendency to attribute one's own behavior to situational factors, while attributing others' behavior to dispositional factors.

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Overestimating the influence of dispositional factors and underestimating the influence of situational factors when explaining others' behavior.

Define self-serving bias.

The tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

What is an internal locus of control?

The belief that one's own actions determine outcomes.

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

When beliefs about oneself or others lead to behaviors that elicit confirming responses from others.

What is the mere exposure effect?

The phenomenon where people tend to like a stimulus more because they've been exposed to it repeatedly.

What is belief perseverance?

The tendency to cling to a belief even when presented with contradictory evidence.

Define cognitive dissonance.

The mental discomfort experienced when actions and attitudes are inconsistent.

How do social institutions influence behavior?

They shape norms, values, and expected behaviors of individuals within society.

What is primary socialization?

Early socialization that occurs in the family setting.

What does the Big Five Model of personality include?

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

What is self-efficacy?

The belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations.

Who introduced the concept of reciprocal determinism?

Albert Bandura.