MCAT- Perception, Prejudice, and Bias

attribution theory

explaining the behavior of other people by breaking down our understanding/explanation of their behavior to factors about them and factors related to their environment/surroundings

dispositional attribution

assuming that another's behavior is due to personality factors, not situational ones

situational attribution

Deciding that environmental forces were in control of ones behavior

optimism bias

The belief that bad things happen to other people but not to us

3 cues of kelley's covariation model

consistency (time), distinctiveness (situation), consensus (people)

covariation model

A theory of attribution asserting that people rely on consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness of information when assigning causes for events. (Kelley)

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

indivualistic culture

seen in western nation, success being attributed to internal (personal) and failure to external (environment)factors

collectivist cultures

seen in eastern cultures in which success is attributed to external an failure to external

self-serving bias

the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors

Steroytyping

overgeneralizing a thought/cognition (which is inaccurate) to a group of individuals

stereotype threat

a self-fulfilling fear that one will be evaluated based on a negative overgeneralized thought; threatens performance

self-fulfilling prophecy

an expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.

authoritorian personality

small minded personality, don't have sympathy for people they deem inferior

frustration-aggression hypothesis

frustration can lead to prejudice. Frustration can lead to aggressive impulses which is them rechanneled elsewhere

Hypothesis of Relative Deprivation

Upsurge in prejudice when people are deprived of something they feel entitled to

2 forms of stigma

social and self stigma

social stigma

the extreme disapproval or dislike of a person or group based on perceived differences from the rest of society

ex. mental illness has been stigmatized in american society

self-stigma

internalization of social stigma; leading to denial, avoidance, isolation, etc

1st social circle

self

2nd social circle

family

3rd social circle

society

4th social circle

media

Primacy bias

first impression is more important than later data

first impressions

long, strong and built up

halo effect

a tendency to believe that people have inherently good or bad natures rather than looking at individual characteristics

physical attractiveness stereotype

The presumption that physically attractive people possess other socially desirable traits as well: What is beautiful is good.

reverse halo effect

when you infer additional negative qualities about someone based on a known negative quality

just-world hypothesis

the belief that people get what they deserve in life and deserve what they get (focuses on internal factors as explanations to events)

Ethnocentrism

evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture.

cultural relativism

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards

in-group favoritism

a cognitive bias involving the predisposition to attribute more positive characteristics to members of in-groups than to those of out-groups

out-group derogation

we are super friendly to our in group, but not friendly to out group - we discriminate. Happens if we feel that the out group is threatening to the in group's success.

group polarization

tendency of group members to move to an extreme position after discussing an issue as a group