psych - forming impressions

covariation theory

determining if a given behaviour is due to an individual’s disposition or the situation

covariation theory — consensus

how do others behave in this situation

low consensus = dispositional

high consensus = situational

covariation theory — distinctiveness

how does this person behave in other situations

low distinctiveness = dispositional

high distinctiveness = situational

covariation theory — consistency

how does this person behave in this same situation at other times

low consistency = wider situational

high consistency = needs more information

covariation theory — conclusions

high consensus, high distinctiveness, high consistency = situational

low consensus, low distinctiveness, high consistency = dispositional

low consistency in general = wider situational

correspondent interference theory

focuses on internal factors influencing a person’s behaviour to understand what motivates the behaviour

correspondent interference theory — degree of choice

amount of freedom the actor had in choosing their opinion or behaviour

correspondent interference theory — expectation

how typical is a particular behaviour for a given actor

we gain more information when someone’s actions defy our expectations

correspondent interference theory — intended consequences

goals and motivations of an actor that shape their behaviour

fundamental attribution error

overestimating the role of dispositional factors over situational factors

actor-observer effect

considering situational factors of your own situation (which you’re more aware of) but the dispositional factors of others’ situations

cultural differences

individualist societies — more dispositional attributions (fundamental attribution error)

collectivist societies — more situational attributions

self-serving bias

identifying dispositional causes for successes but situational causes for failures

representativeness heuristic

classifying people by considering how well their behaviour fits with a certain prototype

availability heuristic

classifying people based on which experiences you have with them and how readily available they are

false consensus effect

tendency to believe that more people share our views that they actually do

important to humans to fit in

illusory correlation

believing that 2 variables are related even though there is no evidence for the relationship

illusory correlation — stereotypes (implicit association test)

measures implicit racial biases

speeded categorization where participants categorize stimuli into 4 different categories using 2 keys (2 categories per key)

• if 2 categories on a key are more related then categorization is faster

4 factors of attraction — proximity

more likely to be attracted to or become friends with those you live or closely work with / anticipate interacting with

• physical distance

• functional distance — how often do two people interact

4 factors of attraction — familiarity

more likely to be attracted to people that you are familiar with

• mere-exposure effect — tendency to feel more positive towards things that are familiar even if only seen once or twice

4 factors of attraction — physical attractiveness

halo effect — tendency to attribute more positive characteristics to individuals that make a good impression

4 factors of attraction — how do others feel about us

we like people who like us

• gain self-esteem from those who initially disliked us but liked us after

• dislike the people who liked us initially then later disliked us