Attribution Theory, Person Perception, and Attitude Change

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on AP Psychology notes on attribution theory, person perception, attitude formation, and persuasion.

Person perception

How we form impressions and judgments about other people.

Attribution theory

The way people explain the causes of behavior.

Dispositional attribution

Explaining behavior using internal qualities such as personality, ability, or attitudes.

Situational attribution

Explaining behavior using external circumstances.

Explanatory style

A characteristic way of explaining good and bad events; Myers contrasts optimistic and pessimistic styles.

Fundamental attribution error

Overestimating dispositional explanations and underestimating situational explanations for others' behavior.

Actor-observer bias

Tendency to explain our own behavior more by situations and others' behavior more by dispositions.

Self-serving bias

Tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

Social comparison

Evaluating ourselves by comparing ourselves with others.

Internal locus of control

Belief that outcomes are substantially influenced by one's own actions.

External locus of control

Belief that outcomes are substantially influenced by outside forces, chance, or powerful others.

Attitude

A belief or feeling about a person, object, or idea that can influence behavior.

Stereotype

A generalized concept about a group; stereotypes can reduce cognitive load but can also contribute to biased perceptions and discrimination.

Cognitive load

The amount of mental effort required to process information; stereotypes can sometimes reduce the amount of information considered.

Implicit attitude

An attitude a person may hold without being aware of it or acknowledging it.

Prejudice

A negative attitude or evaluation toward a group or its members.

Discrimination

Unjustified behavior toward people based on group membership.

Just-world phenomenon

The tendency to believe people generally get what they deserve.

Out-group homogeneity bias

Seeing members of an out-group as more similar to one another than they really are.

In-group bias

Favoring members of one's own group.

Ethnocentrism

Judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture.

Scapegoat theory

The idea that frustration or aggression can be displaced toward a relatively powerless group.

Belief perseverance

A belief persists even after the evidence supporting it has been discredited.

Confirmation bias

Seeking or interpreting information in ways that support existing beliefs.

Cognitive dissonance

Mental discomfort caused by conflicting attitudes or actions; people are motivated to reduce the discomfort.

Persuasion

Techniques used to convince oneself or others of particular ideas, actions, or beliefs.

Elaboration likelihood model

A model describing two routes to persuasion: central and peripheral.

Central-route persuasion

Persuasion based on careful thinking about the quality of arguments.

Peripheral-route persuasion

Persuasion based on cues other than argument quality, such as attractiveness or credibility.

Halo effect

A general positive impression of a person influences judgments about other qualities.

Foot-in-the-door

A small request is followed by a larger request; agreeing to the first can increase compliance with the second.

Door-in-the-face

A large request is followed by a smaller request; the smaller request may seem more reasonable by comparison.