vce psych unit 1

attribution

evaluation made about the causes of behaviour and the process of making this evaluation

process of attribution

Observation, Acknowledgement, Attribute

person perception

the different mental processes used to understand and form impressions of other people

internal attribution

when we judge behaviour as being caused by personal factors within an individual

external attribution

when we judge behaviour as being caused by situational factors occurring outside the individual

Fundamental attribution error

the tendency to explain other people's behaviours as internal factors, ignoring possible external factors

attitudes

evaluation of something

tri-component model of attitudes (ABC)

Affective - emotions, Behavioural - actions, Cognitive - thoughts

stereotypes

a widely held belief and generalisation about groups

cognitive dissonance

the psychological tension that occurs when our thoughts, feelings and behaviours don't align with one another

cognitive bias

unconscious systematic tendencies to interpret information in a way that is neither rational nor based on objective reality

5 cognitive biases

confirmation, halo effect, actor-observer, false consensus, self-serving

halo effect

the tendency for the impression we form about one quality of a person to influence our overall beliefs about the person in other respects

false-consensus bias

the tendency to overestimate the degree to which other people share the same ideas and attitudes as we do

self-serving bias

the tendency to attribute positive success to our internal character and actions and attribute our failures to external factors or situational causes

actor-observer bias

the tendency to attribute our own actions to external factors and situational causes while attributing other people’s actions to internal factors

confirmation bias

the tendency to search for and accept information that supports our prior beliefs or behaviours and ignore contradictory information

heuristics

'mental shortcuts' that enable individual to form judgements, make decisions and solve problems quicker and effectively

positives of heuristics

saves time, accurate decision making, can protect individuals from dangerous situations

negatives of heuristics

decisions made quickly therefore prone to error, base rate fallacy (cognitive bias)

4 types of heuristics

anchoring, availability, affect, representative

anchoring heuristic

information processing strategy that forms judgements based on FIRST INFORMATION received about an idea or concept. The initial information we receive about an idea acts as a 'mental anchor' and future judgements relating to the idea or concept are influenced by this anchor

availability heuristic

information processing strategy that enables individuals to form a judgement, make decisions or solve a problem based on information that is EASILY ACCESSIBLE

representative heuristic

information processing strategy that involves making a CATEGORICAL JUDGEMENT about something based on their similarity to other items in that category

affect heuristic

information processing strategy that involves using EMOTIONS to make a judgement

prejudice

an often negative preconception held against people with a certain group of social category

discrimination

the unjust treatment of people due to their membership within a certain social category

2 types of discrimination and meanings

direct - when someone is treated unfairly because of their association with a particular group

indirect - when a rule applies to all people and unfairly disadvantages a group

stigma

the feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others

influence of prejudice, discrimination and stigma on personal wellbeing

can make individuals feel alienated and excluded from society. These effects can accumulate and lead to poor mental wellbeing

4 ways of reducing prejudice, discrimination and stigma

education, inter-group contact, social media, laws

social group

2 or more people who interact and influence each other and share a common objective

in group vs out group

in group = where individual identifies

out group = where individual doesn't identify

social identity theory

the tendency for people to favour their in-group over an out-group in order to enhance their sense of self esteem

social loafing

an individual's reduction in effort when work is performed in a group compared to individually, due to the belief that others will put in the effort

obedience

complying with commands which are often given by a source of authority

3 factors of obedience

status of authority figure, proximity, group pressure

status of authority figure obedience factor

tendency to obey increases when there is a greater status of power of authority

proximity obedience factor

tendency to obey increases when there is greater physical proximity or greater relationship proximity

group pressure obedience factor

tendency to obey increases as the number of 'others' who also obey increases

conformity

adjusting one's thoughts, feelings or behaviours to match others in a social group

4 conformity factors

social norms, group think, group shift, deindividuation

social norms

society's unofficial rules and expectations regarding how individuals should act

groupthink

a psychological phenomenon in which assumed group unanimity overrules individuals' realistic appraisals of consequences

groupshift

a condition in which the influence of the group causes an individual to adopt a more extreme position

deindividuation

the tendency for individuals to lose their sense of identity and individuality within a group