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Module 4.1: Perception and Attribution

Understanding Perception

• Perception: How we view others and form opinions about individuals.

Explaining Others' Behavior

• Attribution: The process of explaining the behaviors of others based on traits or situational factors.

• Fundamental Attribution Error: Misunderstanding others' behavior due to situational influences versus personal traits.

• Actor-Observer Bias:

  • An individual attributes their own behavior to situational factors while others' behaviors are attributed to their personality.

  • Example: Failing a test due to poor sleep while peers believe one is unprepared.

Social Comparison's Influence

• Social Comparison: A mechanism by which individuals base their self-worth on others' achievements.

  • Example: "I did bad on the test, but did better than everyone else, so I did good!"

Understanding Prejudice

• Prejudice: An unjustifiable attitude towards a group and its members.

• Stereotype: A generalized belief about a group of people.

• Discrimination: Unjust behavior directed towards a group or its members.

Factors Eliciting Prejudice

• Distinctions that commonly elicit prejudice include minority status based on ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

Roots of Prejudice

• Just-World Phenomenon: The belief that the world is fair, leading to blaming victims for their misfortune.

• Ingroup vs. Outgroup:

  • Ingroup: Individuals related to a group's identity.

  • Outgroup: Those excluded from that identity.

  • Ingroup Bias: The belief in the superiority of one’s own group compared to others.

• Scapegoat Theory: Blaming others for one’s issues to deflect from personal responsibility.

• Desensitization to Hate Speech: Frequent exposure can lead to normalization of prejudice.

• Other-Race Effect: Difficulty in recognizing faces of races different from one's own.

Understanding Bias and Assumptions

• Psychological aspects of bigotry and prejudice often lead to cognitive shortcuts such as schemas and heuristics.

Module 4.2: Attitudes and Actions Interaction

Attitudes

• Attitudes are defined as feelings influenced by beliefs that predispose specific reactions and influence behavior.

Behavioral Concepts

• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: Agreeing to a small request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a larger request later.

• Social Position: An individual's expected role (e.g., student, athlete) can lead to shifts in behavior based on societal expectations.

• Cognitive Dissonance Theory: The process of changing one’s thoughts when they clash with one another.

  • Example: Changing one’s attitude upon realizing hypocrisy in actions.

Persuasion Routes

• Peripheral Route Persuasion:

  • Utilizes attention-grabbing cues; focuses on emotions and quick judgments.

  • Often seen in commercials and political ads.

• Central Route Persuasion:

  • Involves the use of evidence and arguments to foster critical thinking.

  • Commonly used in debates or TED talks.

Change in Attitudes

• Attitudes can shift easily, often due to the discovery of contradictions or external influences, utilizing both central and peripheral routes of persuasion.