Attitudes and Stereotypes – Revision Notes

Person Perception

  • Mental processes used to form first impressions of others
  • Relies on verbal, non-verbal, and contextual cues
  • Two information sources:
    • Direct perceptions – firsthand observation/interaction
    • Indirect perceptions – second-hand reports or reputations

Attributions

  • Attribution = evaluation of the cause of behaviour
  • Two main types:
    • Internal (dispositional) – cause lies within the person
    • External (situational) – cause lies in environmental factors
  • Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE):
    • We over-value internal causes for others’ negative acts and external causes for our own

Attitudes

  • Definition: a learned, relatively stable evaluation of a person, object, event, or idea
  • Key criteria for formation:
    • Evaluation exists on a negative–neutral–positive continuum
    • Learned through experience (conditioning, observation, discussion)
    • Relatively settled yet changeable if challenged

Tri-Component Model (A-B-C)

  • 33 interrelated parts must include Affective + Cognitive for an attitude to exist
    • Affective – feelings/emotions toward the target
    • Behavioural – observable actions/intentions reflecting the attitude
    • Cognitive – beliefs/thoughts about the target
  • Components normally consistent, but inconsistency can occur (e.g.
    saying smoking is bad but still smoking)

Stereotypes

  • Definition: widely held, oversimplified belief about a group
  • Common examples: “men are strong,” “older people are frail,” “Melburnians love coffee”

Effects of Stereotyping

  • Decision-making: influences goals and perceived suitability (self-stereotyping)
  • Interpersonal interaction: shapes who we approach/avoid and how we communicate

Impact on Social Cognition & Behaviour

  • Attitudes, attributions, and stereotypes guide how we interpret, analyse, remember, and use social information
  • They act as cognitive shortcuts but can produce bias in judgments and actions