Attribution Theory and Person Perception in Social Psychology

Social Psychology

Study of how individuals' thoughts, feelings, behaviors are influenced by others.

Person Perception

Process of forming impressions of others.

Mere-Exposure Effect

Repeated exposure increases liking of novel stimuli.

Attribution Theory

Explains behavior by crediting situation or disposition.

Situational Attribution

Behavior attributed to external factors or situations.

Dispositional Attribution

Behavior attributed to internal factors or personality.

Explanatory Style

How people explain good or bad events in life.

Optimistic Explanatory Style

Attributing positive outcomes to internal factors.

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Attributing negative outcomes to internal factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Over-attributing others' behavior to internal factors.

Actor-Observer Bias

Attributing own actions to external, others' to internal factors.

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing successes to self, failures to external factors.

Cognitive Bias

Systematic pattern of deviation from norm in judgment.

Bias of Behavior

General tendency to misattribute causes of actions.

Impression Formation

The process of developing opinions about others.

Stereotyping

Overgeneralized belief about a group of people.

Social Influence

Effects of others on individual behavior and thoughts.

Cognitive Dissonance

Mental discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors.

Groupthink

Decision-making process where group harmony overrides realistic appraisal.

Confirmation Bias

Favoring information that confirms existing beliefs.

Social Comparison

Evaluating oneself in relation to others.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to be accepted or liked by others.

Actor-Observer Bias

Differential attribution of actions based on perspective.

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing successes to internal, failures to external factors.

Internal Locus of Control

Belief that one controls their own fate.

External Locus of Control

Belief that fate is determined by external forces.

Learned Helplessness

Feeling of helplessness due to lack of control.

Personal Control

Sense of controlling one's environment and outcomes.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

Social Comparison Theory

Evaluating oneself based on others' abilities.

Upward Comparison

Comparing to someone perceived as better off.

Downward Comparison

Comparing to someone perceived as worse off.

Relative Deprivation

Feeling deprived compared to others in social group.

Perception of Control

Influence of control beliefs on behavior and mental processes.

Impact on Self-Esteem

Social comparisons significantly affect self-esteem levels.

Cultural Influence on Perception

Social groups shape treatment and perception of others.

Attribution Theory

How individuals explain causes of behavior.

Motivation from Upward Comparison

Can inspire self-improvement despite potential inadequacy feelings.

Boost from Downward Comparison

Can enhance self-esteem by feeling superior.

Consequences of Learned Helplessness

Lower morale and increased stress from lack of control.

Role of Environment in Control

Limited control in settings like prisons reduces morale.

Behavioral Confirmation

Behaviors elicited by others confirming beliefs.

Seligman's Research

Studies on learned helplessness and control perceptions.

Social Reference Group

Group used for social comparison assessments.

Cognitive Dissonance

Mental discomfort from conflicting beliefs or behaviors.

Attitude

A feeling influenced by beliefs, guiding responses.

Cognitive Component

Beliefs about an object's attributes.

Affective Component

Feelings associated with an object.

Behavioral Component

Actions taken towards an object.

Stereotype

Generalized concept about a group.

Implicit Attitudes

Unconscious biases individuals may not acknowledge.

Explicit Prejudice

Conscious negative beliefs about a group.

Implicit Prejudice

Unconscious biases measured by tools like IAT.

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group.

Prejudice

Unjustifiable negative attitude towards a group.

Just-World Phenomenon

Belief that actions lead to deserved outcomes.

Social Unrest

Protests driven by perceived unfair deprivation.

Attitude Formation

Process of developing feelings towards objects.

Advertising Tactics

Strategies to evoke feelings for product connection.

Social Movements

Collective efforts to address perceived injustices.

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

Perception that out-group members are similar.

In-Group Bias

Preference for members of one's own group.

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's own culture.

Cognitive Load

Mental effort required to process information.

Negative Evaluations

Unfavorable judgments about others based on biases.

Stereotype Function

Reduces cognitive load in decision-making.

Criminal Behavior

Actions driven by feelings of unfair deprivation.

Social Movements Examples

Protests arising from perceived social injustices.

Just-world phenomenon

Belief that actions yield deserved consequences.

Victim-blaming

Assigning fault to victims for their misfortunes.

Ingroup

Group sharing a common identity, referred to as 'us'.

Outgroup

Group perceived as different, referred to as 'them'.

Ingroup bias

Favoring one's own group over others.

Outgroup Homogeneity Bias

Seeing outgroup members as more similar than ingroup.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified beliefs about a group of people.

Prejudice

Negative attitudes toward individuals based on group membership.

Social Roots of Prejudice

Prejudice arises from group identity and favoritism.

Scapegoat Theory

Prejudice serves as an outlet for anger by blaming others.

Belief Perseverance

Clinging to beliefs despite contradictory evidence.

Confirmation Bias

Seeking information that supports existing beliefs.

Cognitive Dissonance

Tension from conflicting attitudes and behaviors.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Theory explaining how we reduce dissonance.

Alleviating Cognitive Dissonance

Change action, attitude, or perception of action.

Example of Cognitive Dissonance

Feeling guilt after shoplifting despite self-image.

Leon Festinger

Psychologist who proposed Cognitive Dissonance Theory.

Order vs. Chaos

Humans prefer structured environments over chaotic ones.

Us vs. Them Mentality

Dividing people into favored ingroup and outgroup.

Historical Prejudice Examples

Japanese internment, Nazi scapegoating, post-9/11 backlash.

Diversity Recognition

Acknowledging differences within one's own group.

Behavior Change Difficulty

Changing beliefs is often easier than changing actions.

Social Norms

Group expectations for appropriate attitudes and behaviors.

Conformity

Adjusting behavior to align with group standards.

Obedience

Following direct commands from an authority figure.

Automatic Mimicry

Unconscious imitation of others' behaviors.

Chameleon Effect

Tendency to mimic behaviors of others.

Social Influence Theory

Explains reasons for conformity under social pressure.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to avoid rejection or gain approval.

Informational Social Influence

Conforming due to perceived valuable information.

Solomon Asch's Line Study

Experiment testing levels of conformity with lines.

Conformity Conditions

Factors influencing likelihood of conforming behavior.