social perception

Heider (1958) – Attribution Theory

People explain behavior by attributing it to internal (dispositional) or external (situational) causes.

Jones & Davis (1965) – Correspondent Inference Theory

Internal attributions are more likely when behavior has few unique effects or is unexpected.

Kelley (1967) – Covariation Model

Attribution depends on consensus (others’ behavior), distinctiveness (target-specific), and consistency (over time)

Ross (1977) – FAE Concept

People overemphasize dispositional factors and underemphasize situational factors.

Jones & Harris (1967) – Castro Study

• Even when participants knew essay positions were assigned, they still inferred writers’ true attitudes.

Bierbrauer (1976) – Milgram Obedience Reenactment

Participants assumed most would disobey (90%), while actual disobedience was 35%, highlighting the neglect of situational pressure.

Ross et al. (1977) – College Bowl Study

• Questioners were perceived as more knowledgeable than contestants, despite random role assignment (both fell for fundamental attribution error)

Jones & Nisbett (1971) – Actor-Observer Difference

People attribute others’ actions to traits but their own actions to the situation.

Storms (1978) – Camera Perspective Study

Watching oneself from an external perspective shifts attributions towards dispositional explanations.

Morris & Peng (1994) – Collectivist vs. Individualist Attribution

Chinese newspapers attributed shootings to situational factors, whereas American newspapers focused on the individual.

Masuda & Nisbett (2001) – Context Sensitivity

Japanese participants focused more on background elements than Americans.

Kitayama et al. (2003) – Visual Judgments

Cultural background influences whether people focus on relative vs. absolute judgments.

Humphrey (1985) – Job Roles Study

Participants assigned to “managers” and “workers” judged managers as more competent, despite random assignments (fundamental attribution error)

Wall St./Community Game Study

Labeling a game as “Wall St.” or “Community” influenced participants’ cooperation levels, despite identical rules.

Maximizing vs satisficing

Maximizing: best possible choice: Negatively correlated with happiness, positively with depression

Satisficing: satisfied with good enough: Can still have high standards, but stops after meeting threshold

More likely for younger people to be maximizing and older people to be

satisficing

Snyder’s (1977) Self-Monitoring Theory

how much people adjust their behavior in social situations based on external cues.

high vs low self monitors

High self-monitors are social chameleons: they adapt their behavior to fit different situations and social expectations.
Low self-monitors are more consistent across different situations: they act based on their true feelings and internal beliefs rather than adjusting for others.