Forming Impressions

Above Average Effect

You think you’re better than the average on the things that are importnat to

Actor/Observer Effect

More likely to attribute our own behaviour to situational causes but that of others to internal ones

Attribution

Judgments that tie cause and effect together

Covariation Theory

Determines if someone’s behaviour is based on their dispositional or situational factors

3 Factors used in Covariation Theory

1. Consensus

2. Distinctiveness

3. Consistency

Consensus

How would others behave in the same situation

Consistency

How the same person would behave in a similar situation at a different time

Distinctiveness

How that person behaves in different situations than the given situation

Correspondent Inference Theory

Attribution theory to actively analyze a person’s behaviour to make inferences/attributions

3 Variables of Correspondent Inference Theory

1. Degree of Choice

2. Expectation

3. Intended Consequences

Degree of Choice

Amount of freedom in choosing their opinion/behaviours

Expectation

How their behaviour matches our expectation in that situation

Intended Consequences

Goals/motivation underlying their behaviour

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating dispositional causes for other’s behaviour, and underestimating situational causes

Self Serving Bias

Tendency to attribute successes to dispositional factors and failures to situational factors to perceive yourself favourably

Factors that affect Attraction

• Proximity: physical and functional

• Familiarity

• Physical Attractiveness

• Others’ opinions of Us

Others’ Opinions of Us

Individuals are more likely to be attracted to those who have shown they already like them (especially for low self esteem people)

Familiarity

Familiar people, even just seen a few times in the past, are more attractive

Proximity

Friends or people you work with/live closely to will be more attractive

Functional Distance

How often you get to interact with the person

If consensus, distinctiveness and consistency is high then attribution is to

Situational Factors

If consensus and distinctiveness is low, but consistency is high then attribution is to

Dispositional Factors

If consistency is low then attribution is to

Wider situational attribution (in general)

When apart of a group, the in group are more likely to have a

Positive attitude

Children tend to attribute to

Equally to dispositional and situational factors

Individualistic societies tend to attribute to

Dispositional over situational

Collectivist societies tend to attribute to

Situational over dispositional

Mere Exposure Effect

Tendency to perceive past stimuli as more favourable

Halo Effect

Tendency to attribute characteristics to people that make a positive impression

New impressions are strongly influential

If it is opposite to the initial impression

Implicit Association Task

Categorize things based if good/bad with another topic

False Consensus Effect

Think more people share our views than they actually do

Illusory Correlation

Believe that 2 variables are related even though there’s no evidence for that relation