(6) social psych

what is the fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers to underestimate the situational influences and overestimate the dispositional influences upon others’ behavior

what did jones and harris do (castro debate)

students read debates on a leader, when told that the debaters chose their positions the students believed it was reflection of their attitude, and still did after being told the coach chose.

example of the difference of how we explain behavior (self versus others)

i am angry because everything is wrong versus she is hostile because she is an angry person

what was napolitan and goethals’ study (clinical psychologist)

told groups different things on how a clinical psychologist would behave; the effect was nothing.

what was ross’ experiment (questioner and contestant)

stanford students were assigned to play questioner and contestant. despite knowing the questioners had an advantage, the contestants really believed that they were less intelligent.

what does ross’ experiment with the questioners and contestants show us

misimpressions aren’t a reflection of low social intelligence (because they’re college students)

those with social power usually initiate and control conversations, which often leads to….

the overestimation of powerful people’s knowledge

when we act the environment commands our attention, but when we watch another person act…

that person occupies the center of attention and the environment becomes invisible

what happens in a courtroom when the camera is placed towards the prosecutor

there is a conviction rate of 100%

what is the reason for the attribution error

we find causes for things where we look for them

what is the difference in reasoning for traits when it’s the past versus present

you give your past traits descriptions but presently your character depends on the situation

what does the western view predispose people to believe when it comes to attribution

predisposes people to believe that people cause events, and that internal explanations are more socially approved

what culture is more sensitive to the importance of situation

eastern asian cultures

true or false: some languages promote external attributions

true

why is the fundamental attribution error fundamental

it colors our explanations in basic and important ways

true or false: people’s attributions predict their attitudes towards the poor and unemployed people

true

how do those with dispositional attributions view the poor and unemployed

that they’re just lazy

how do those with with situational attributions view poor and unemployed

they adopt political positions that offer these people support