Social Perception and Attribution (2)

Essay notes/sources

Illusory Face Perception (Pareidolia)

Seeing faces in objects where none exist

Farroni et al. (2005)

Babies show innate preferences for face-like stimuli, indicating evolved sensitivity to faces

Forming Impressions

Thin slices of behaviour, primary dimensions

Ambady and Rosenthal (1993): Thin slices of behaviour

brief observations (e.g. teacher behaviour) predict long-term evaluations

Primary dimensions

Warmth (liking): Trustworthiness, kindness

Competence (respect): Skill, intellect

Fiske et al. (2006): Warmth + competence explain 82% of social judgements

First Impressions

Speed, facial cues, baby-facedness

Wills and Todorov (2006): Speed

100ms exposure suffices for trait judgments

Facial Cues

Warmth: smiles = trustworthiness; anger/sadness = negative ratings

Competence: Mature/masculine features = dominance

Baby-facedness: Zebrowitz (1997)

Infantile features evoke caregiving; judged as warmer but less competent

Real World Outcomes

Politics, Finance, Justice

Todorov et al. (2005): Politics

mature-faced candidates win 70% of electionsA

Antonakis and Dalgas (2009): Politics

Children’s competence ratings predict election outcomes

Rule and Ambady (2009): Finance

Dominant-looking CEOs earn more

Wilson and Rule (2015): Justice

Inmates rated as untrustworthy more likely to receive death penalty

Attribution Biases

Primary/Confirmation Bias, Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE), Actor-Observer Difference, Cognitive Load

Asch (1946): Primary/Confirmation Bias

early info dominates impressions

Jones and Harris (1967): FAE

dispositional bias even when situational constraints are clear

Miller (1984): FAE: Cultural differences

Westerners favour personal attributions; collectivists focus on context

Actor-Observer Difference

Situational explanations for self vs. dispositional for others

Cognitive Load: Gilbert et al. (1988)

dispositional inferences are automatic; situational adjustments require effort

Essay-Relevant Themes

Speed vs. Accuracy, Biological vs. Cultural Influences, Real-World Impact

Speed vs. Accuracy

how rapid impressions lead to biases (e.g. FAE)

Biological vs. Cultural Influences

Innate face perception vs. cultural attribution differences

Real-World Impact

From elections to crimincal justice, biases shape outcomes