PSYC 307 - Chapter 9

Analytic Thinking

Characterized by a focus on objects and their attributes; objects are perceived as existing independently from their contexts, and they are understood in terms of their component parts. More common in Western cultures than elsewhere.

Holistic Thinking

Characterized by a focus on the context as a whole; an associative way of thinking or paying attention to the relationships among objects, as well as between the objects and their surroundings. Objects are understood in terms of how they relate to the rest of the context; more common in non-Western cultures.

Field Independence

The tendency to separate objects from their background fields.

Field Dependence

The tendency to view objects as bound to their backgrounds.

Saccades

Rapid movements of the eyes between fixation points that allow for visual information processing.

Dispositional Attributions

Explaining behaviour in terms of a person’s underlying qualities.

Situational Attributions

Explaining behaviour in terms of contextual factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to ignore situational information and focus only on dispositional information.

Naive Dialecticism

The belief that contradictory ideas can coexist and that truth is often found in the balance between opposing perspectives.