SOCIAL PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOR

Attribution Theory

focuses on the tendency for individuals to infer the causes of other people's behavior

Dispositional (internal)

causes relate to the features of the person who is being considered

Situational (external)

causes relate to features of the surroundings or social context

Correspondent inference theory

describes attributions made by observing the intentional (especially unexpected) behaviors performed by another person

Fundamental attribution error

bias toward making dispositional attributions rather than situational attributions

Stereotype

attitudes and impressions that are made base on limited and superficial information

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

phenomenon of a stereotype creating an expectation of a particular group

What does a self-fulfilling prophecy lead to?

conditions that lead to confirmation of the stereotype

Stereotype threat

a feeling of anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype

Prejudice

an irrationally based attitude prior to actual experience

What is ethnocentrism?

practice of making judgments about other cultures based on the values and beliefs of one's own culture

What does in-group vs out-group refer to in the context of ethnocentrism?

distinction between one's own cultural group (in-group) and other cultural groups (out-group)

Cultural relativism

studying social groups and cultures on their own terms

Discrimination

when prejudicial attitudes cause differences in treatment of a group