VCE Psychology Unit 2 Flashcards

actor–observer bias

actor–observer bias

the tendency to attribute one’s own behaviour to external or situational factors, while attributing others’ behaviour to internal or personal factors

affect heuristic 

making a judgment that is influenced by the emotion being experienced at the time

affective component

in the tricomponent model, the emotional reaction or feeling an individual has towards an object, person, group, event or issue

anchoring bias

cognitive bias influencing the tendency to rely heavily on the very first piece of information received (called the anchor) when making a decision and to not modify this anchor sufficiently in light of later information

attentional bias

cognitive bias influencing the tendency to prioritise attention to certain information (or other stimuli) over other information

attitude

an evaluation a person makes about an object, person, group, event or issue

attribution

the process by which we explain the cause of our own or another person’s behaviour; also used to refer to the explanation we come up with

availability heuristic

availability heuristic making a judgment based on how easy or difficult it is to bring specific examples to mind

behavioural component

in the tricomponent model of attitudes, the way in which an attitude is expressed through our actions (or how we might behave should the opportunity arise)

body language

non-verbal communication involving expression of feelings and thoughts through facial expressions, eye gaze, posture, gestures or other movements

cognitive bias

a mistaken way of thinking that leads to systematic errors of judgment and faulty decision-making

cognitive component

in the tricomponent model, the beliefs an individual has about an object, person, group, event or issue

cognitive dissonance

an unpleasant psychological state that occurs when people become aware that there is inconsistency among their various beliefs, attitudes or other ‘cognitions’, or that their behaviour conflicts with their cognitions

cognitive intervention

in relation to reducing prejudice, changing the way someone thinks about prejudice

confirmation bias

cognitive bias influencing the tendency to seek, recall or interpret information in a way that confirms existing beliefs or expectations, while dismissing or failing to seek contradictory evidence

contact hypothesis

in relation to reducing prejudice, proposes that certain types of contact between members of different groups can reduce prejudice between them

direct discrimination

when someone treats another person unfavourably because of a personal characteristic protected by the law; compare with indirect discrimination

discrimination

when a person or a social group is treated differently than others

Dunning–Kruger effect

cognitive bias whereby people overestimate their knowledge or ability, particularly in areas with which they have little to no knowledge or experience

explicit prejudice

consciously held and usually deliberately thought about

external attribution

an explanation of behaviour due to factors associated with the situation the person is in

false-consensus bias

cognitive bias influencing the tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people are like them in terms of sharing beliefs, personal characteristics or behaviours

fundamental attribution error

when explaining someone’s behaviour, the tendency to overestimate the influence of personal factors and underestimate the impact of situational factors; behaviour is attributed to internal rather than external factors

halo effect

the tendency to allow an overall positive impression of a person or a specific quality to influence beliefs and expectations about the person in other qualities

heuristic

a strategy for solving a problem or making a decision that is based on experience with similar types of problems but cannot guarantee a correct outcome

hindsight bias

cognitive bias influencing the tendency, only after an event has occurred, to overestimate the extent to which the outcome could have been foreseen

implicit prejudice

prejudice that is unconsciously held so the individual is usually unaware of it; compare with explicit prejudice

indirect discrimination

unreasonable requirement, condition or practice that disadvantages a person, or a group of people, because of a personal characteristic; compare with direct discrimination

ingroup

any group to which an individual belongs or with which an individual identifies; compare with outgroup

intergroup contact involves increasing contact between groups who are prejudiced against each other in an attempt to reduce prejudice

involves increasing contact between groups who are prejudiced against each other in an attempt to reduce prejudice

internal attribution

an explanation of behaviour due to the characteristics of the person involved, such as their personality, ability, attitude, motivation, mood or effort

misinformation effect

cognitive bias influencing the tendency for information acquired after an event to influence the accuracy of the memory of the original event

modern prejudice

a form of prejudice which tends to be subtle, hidden and expressed in ways more likely to be accepted within the majority group; compare with old-fashioned prejudice

old-fashioned prejudice

a form of prejudice in which members of the majority group openly reject minority group members and their views towards the minority group are obvious and recognisable to others; compare with modern prejudice