Psych Ch. 13

Question 1

What is Attribution theory?

Answer 1

It provides a framework to understand the reasons behind the actions of others.
{making attributions that explain another person’s behavior.}

Question 2

What are the two ways we interprate and attribute the actions/behavior of others?

Answer 2

(1) dispositional/internal causes

(2) situational/external causes

Question 3

What is Kelley’s covariation model?

–>What are the three factors that need consideration when making internal or external attributions?

Answer 3

It asserts that a single exposure to a person is insufficient to form accurate attributions.

–> 1: consistency
2: distinctiveness
3: consensus

Question 4

What aspect of Kelley’s covariation theory considers the repeated late arrival of Student X?

a
consensus

b
consistency

c
distinctiveness

d
divergence

Answer 4

In Kelley’s model, consistency is the measure of how frequently a behavior occurs in a certain context (e.g., does it happen “all the time,” “some of the time,” “rarely,” or “not at all”?). Consistent behaviors are more likely to be the result of internal factors.

Question 5

What aspect of Kelley’s covariation theory would describe the on-time arrival of other students?

a
consensus

b
consistency

c
distinctiveness

d
divergence

Answer 5

a
consensus

Consensus describes the level of agreement that a behavior is typical (i.e., “everyone would act this way in the same situation”). If a behavior has high consensus (that is, everyone agrees they would do the same), external attributions are more likely.

Question 6

Student X blamed her lateness on parking problems, which assumes which of the following attributions? (Select all that apply.)
Multiple answers:

a
internal

b
external

c
situational

d
dispositional

Answer 6

b
external

c
situational

Internal and dispositional attributions mean the same thing—that some trait the person has is responsible for their behavior (e.g., that the person is bad at time management). That is not the case in this situation. By blaming the parking situation, the student is saying that external (or “situational”) factors explain why she is late. She is arguing that it isn’t her fault—the situation itself caused her to be late.

Question 7

In wondering whether Student X may have a problem causing them to have difficulty organizing their time, which attribution is the professor is making? (Select all that apply.)
Multiple answers:

a
internal

b
external

c
situational

d
dispositional

Answer 7

Internal and dispositional attributions mean the same thing—that some trait the person has is responsible for their behavior (e.g., that Student X has damage to their frontal lobe). The professor in this example is wondering if an internal attribution is appropriate.

Question 8

What component of Kelley’s covariation model considers the difference in Student X’s behavior in other courses?

a
consensus

b
consistency

c
distinctiveness

d
divergence

Answer 8

Distinctiveness considers the uniqueness of Student X’s behavior (i.e., is it truly “unlike me,” or is it really “like me”). In the example above, Student X is saying that her behavior in the class is high in distinctiveness—that it’s “unlike me.” Upon consultation with the student’s other instructors however, the professor learns that the behavior is truly low in distinctiveness—that these actions are “like me.” If a behavior is high in distinctiveness, we tend to make external attributions (it’s “unlike me”—the situation made me act like this), while if a behavior is low in distinctiveness, we tend to make internal attributions (it’s “like me”—something about me caused this behavior).

Question 9

Which of the following would represent a dispositional attribution? (Select all that apply)
Multiple answers:

a
Jesse is lazy.

b
Joanna is intelligent.

c
Jasmine was stuck in traffic.

d
Jordan’s mom is ill.

Answer 9

a
Jesse is lazy.

b
Joanna is intelligent.

“Jesse is lazy,” and “Joanna is intelligent” are both dispositional (internal) attributions because they appeal to an internal characteristic or disposition to explain a behavior.

Question 10

Fundamental attribution error?

Answer 10

how we assign attributes to others. Based on the FAE, we attribute the behavior of others to dispositional (internal) causes rather than environmental (external) causes.

Question 11

Actor-observer bias?

Answer 11

According to the actor-observer bias, we are more likely to assign internal attributions to others and external attributions when explaining our own behavior.

Question 12

Self-serving bias?

Answer 12

Individuals credit their successes to internal/dispositional causes and their failures to external/situational causes.

Question 13

False consensus effect?

Answer 13

overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs

Question 14

Which of the following helps preserve self-esteem?

a
fundamental attribution error

b
primacy effects in impression formation

c
false consensus effect

d
self-serving bias

Answer 14

d
self-serving bias

The self-serving bias describes how we tend to divert blame for a bad outcome (e.g., failing an exam) from our own traits (e.g., poor time management) onto an external factor (e.g., a “tough” professor), and also how we tend to take credit for good outcomes (e.g., getting an “A” on an exam) by attributing them to our own abilities (e.g., being smart) and minimizing external factors (e.g., a very helpful professor). Both of these features boost self-esteem.

Question 15

primacy effect?

Answer 15

Primacy effect means that once an initial impression is formed, decreasing amounts of attention are given to subsequent information.
{we don’t like to think our initial impression was wrong.}

Question 16

confirmation bias

Answer 16

Confirmation bias occurs when we are more likely to attend to and process facts or events that are consistent with our initial impression

Question 17

When you meet someone for the first time, how quickly do you form an impression of that person?

a
within seconds to minutes of meeting

b
after about 10 minutes

c
You formulate your impression based on the totality of your interaction.

d
You reserve judgment until you meet them in another context.

Answer 17

a
within seconds to minutes of meeting

First impressions develop within the first few seconds to minutes of meeting a person as we integrate available information about that person (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, appearance, mannerisms, and speech) into a cohesive whole.

Question 18

self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 18

If you believe something to be true or have a high degree of certainty about an outcome, you may unwittingly produce the expected result.

Question 19

Which of the following best explains Jennifer’s belief that everyone thinks the exam is hard?

a
self-serving bias

b
primacy effects

c
fundamental attribution error

d
false consensus effect

Answer 19

d
false consensus effect

Jennifer’s belief that everyone thinks the exam is too hard is based only on her own experience—she thinks her own experience is similar to that of everyone else in the class. This is false however, an example of the false consensus effect.

Question 20

Once we form an opinion about someone, which of the following explains why we attend to information that is consistent with our impressions and ignore information that is not consistent with our beliefs?

a
self-fulfilling prophecy

b
negative primacy effect

c
fundamental attribution error

d
confirmation bias

Answer 20

d
confirmation bias

Confirmation bias is a problem with the way we go about gathering evidence. We tend to look for evidence for beliefs we already have: If we believe a person is a good person, we tend to interpret their actions in a more positive light, for example.

Question 21

True of False: According to research by Noguchi et al. (2014), people from Japan are more likely to demonstrate primacy effects in impression formation than people from the United States.

a
True

b
False

Answer 21

False—People from Japan are less likely to demonstrate primacy effects in impression formation compared to individuals from the United States.

Question 22

Based on the descriptions provided, which person is more likely to be perceived positively?

a
Scott A. is a lazy, boring, and unreliable person, who is also kind, compassionate, and intelligent.

b
Scott B. is an intelligent, kind, and compassionate person; he can sometimes be boring, lazy and unreliable

Answer 22

b
Scott B. is an intelligent, kind, and compassionate person; he can sometimes be boring, lazy and unreliable.

Due to the primacy effect, Scott B. is more likely to be perceived positively (because his positive traits are listed first).

Question 23

rue or False: With regard to impression formation, even if your initial impression is negative, it can be easily changed if subsequent exposures are positive.

a
True

b
False

Answer 23

b
False

False—Confirmation bias and the primacy effect work against us. If an initial impression is negative, it will be remembered well due to the primacy effect, and confirmation bias will guide us to seek out further evidence in favor of our negative impression.