Social Psychology Flash Cards

Attribution theory

Definition: "We credit (attribute) the behavior of others to either situation or disposition. Dispositional (or Internal) Attribution: The behavior is a result of stable personality traits. Situational (or Environmental) Attribution: The behavior is a result of a situation.

Example: If someone is late, you might think they are disorganized (dispositional) or that there was traffic (situational)."

Fundamental attribution error

Definition: "Tendency of observers, when trying to explain another person's behavior, to overestimate the role of personality and underestimate the power of situations.

Example: If a coworker fails to complete a project, one might blame their laziness instead of considering that they were overloaded with work."

Peripheral route persuasion

Definition: "Occurs when people are influenced by attention-getting cues (other than the message itself) and triggers emotion-based 'snap-judgments' that involve little thought.

Example: A celebrity endorsement of a product, where the celebrity’s image grabs attention rather than the product's quality."

Central route persuasion

Definition: "Persuasion is based on evidence and arguments that trigger careful thinking.'

Example: A political candidate presents statistical evidence and logical arguments about their proposed policy changes."