Lec 6: attributions Flashcards
what is short term memory
the capacity to keep a small amount of information in mind in an active, readily available state for a short period of time.
what is long term memory
information from past experiences that may or may not be active
capacity to keep large amount of info for a long time
what is encoding
organization of sensory input into appropriate long term or short term memory
what is consolidation in reference to memory
‘storage’ of memory
what is retrieval in reference to memory
retrieving memory that is stored
explain why and how we have better memory for schema consistent or inconsistent information
schema consistent: associations tend to help us better remember something
(recall study where some ones liking for beer may be attributed to them being a waitress, or some ones liking for classical music may be attributed to them being a librarian)
schema inconsistent: information that conflicts pre-existing schema can be memorable because we tend to try and make sense of it
what is mood congruent memory
we are likely to remember positive information when in a positive mood and vice versa
how does concept for schema consistency change between individualism and collectivism cultures
in individualistic cultures, people appreciate consistency in well defined concepts
in collectivism cultures, individuals have tolerance for inconsistency of concepts over time.
what is dialecticism
a way of knowledge that accepts and acknowledges inconsistency
what is the misinformation effect
process (like priming) in which cues after a given event can plan false memory
example:
watch a video of a car crash
ask one “how fast was the car going when it HIT the other car” the person is likely to recollect the car went moderately fast
ask another “how fast was the car going when it SMASHED the other car”
the person is likely to recollect the car was going very fast.
what is the availability heuristic
tendency to assume that information that is readily available for consciousness is more frequent or common
- can distort judgements
ie) people are more afraid of planes because its easier to recall tragic plane crashes although car crashes are more frequent (just not as reported)
what is ease of retrieval effect
process whereby people judge how frequently an event occurs on the basis of how frequently they can retrieve examples of the event
example:
- ask 2 groups of college to students to recall 6 or 12 times they found themselves assertive
- those who recall 6 events felt themselves more assertive than those who recalled 12 events
- that is because the ease of thinking of 6 events makes it appear that you are often an assertive person
- the difficulty of thinking of 12 events makes one think that they are having a hard time thinking because they are not assertive often
what are causal attributions
explanations of an individuals behavior
what is the locus of causality (internal V external locus)
first dimension of causal attribution
internal locus: attribution of behavior to an internal aspect
(i.e. Justin failed physics because he isn’t intelligent)
external locus: attribution of behavior to an external aspect (i.e. Justin failed physics because his professor was a piece of shit)
what is stability in reference to causal attributions (internal vs external attributions and stability)
the second dimension to causal attributions
- stable internal attributions: unchangeable (i.e. justin failed test due to lack of ability)
- unstable external attributions: changeable (i.e. justin failed test due to lack of effort)
what is a causal schema
a theory one holds about the likely cause of an event (based on personal or general cultural knowledge)
- generally relied on when concepts fit out causal schema instead of think rationally about why an event occurs
what is correspondent inference
a judgment that a person’s attitude, desires, or traits matches or corresponds to his or her behavior.
what do correspondent inferences rely on
- if the individual seems to have a choice in taking an action
- a person has a choice between 2 options with one difference between them both
- if someone acts inconsistently with a particular role
what is fundamental attributions error (FAE)
tendency to attribute behavior to internal qualities of an individual and underestimate the causal role of situational factors
what is the actor-observer effect
we tend to make internal attribution to other individuals but external attributions to ourself.
this is because we are aware of our situation first hand and focus on our surroundings, but we do not know others situations so by nature we assume internal attributions
we tend to make ___ attributions for our successes, but ____ attributions for our failures.
internal; external
to defend our self-worth
how does FAE differ from a collectivist vs individualist perspective
All individuals make FAE, but the causal attribution differs between cultures.
individualists tend to make internal attributions while collectivists tend to make external attributions
what is the stage model of attribution
- identification of behavior
- automatic dispositional inference (internal attributes)
- effortful situational correlation (external, requires salience)
what is covariation principle
the tendency to see a causal relationship between an event and an outcome when the happen at the same time
