Social Perception

Question 1

social perception

Answer 1

study of how we form impressions of other people and make inferences about them

Question 2

nonverbal communication

Answer 2

way in which people communicate (intentionally or unintentionally), without words

Question 3

nonverbal cues

Answer 3

• body position/movement
• eye gaze
• facial expression
• gestures
• tones of voice
• touch

Question 4

nonverbal communication: encode

Answer 4

to express or emit nonverbal communication
- smiling
- patting someone on the shoulder

Question 5

nonverbla communication: decode

Answer 5

to interpret meaning of the nonveral communication others express
- deciding that a pat on the back is an expression of condescension and not kindness

Question 6

nonverbal communication: faces

Answer 6

• facial expressions = most significant channel of nonverbal communication
• Charles Darwin believed that primary emotions conveyed by face = universal
• This is somewhat confirmed by Ekman

Question 7

Ekman’s study

Answer 7

• determined universality of at least 6 facial expressions
• context and culture influence how facial expression = interpreted

Question 8

Ekman’s study: the 6 universal facial expressions

Answer 8

• anger
• sadness
• surprise
• fear
• disgust
• happiness
• (contempt)

Question 9

affect blends

Answer 9

• 1/2 face registers one emotion, 1/2 face registers another
• reason why it may be difficult to interpret facial expressions

Question 10

display rules

Answer 10

• cultural norms can influence display of emotion
• culturally determined rules about which nonverbal B = appropriate
• i.e. some people believe it is more acceptable for men to get angry than women

Question 11

cultures and influences: individualistic

Answer 11

more likely that expression of emotions is encouraged

Question 12

cultures and influences: collectivistic

Answer 12

expression of strong negative emotions = discouraged because it can disrupt group harmony

Question 13

cultures and influences: other nonverbal cues influenced by culture

Answer 13

• eye contact and gaze
• hand head gestures
• personal space and touching

Question 14

emblems

Answer 14

• nonverbal gestures that have well-understood definitions within a given culture
• usually have direct verbal translations
• not universal (each culture has their own emblems)

Question 15

first impressions

Answer 15

• can usually form impressions of others within milliseconds (usually from facial expression)
• tendency to inder what people are like solely on facial appearance emerges around 3y
• can be wrong, can be very accurate
• can be influenced by schemas about certain features

Question 16

implicit personality theory

Answer 16

• type of schemas used to group various kinds of personality traits
• research shows that people tend to attribute less positive characteristics to individuals described as having low self-esteem

Question 17

halo effect

Answer 17

• sociocognitive bias
• we assign positive attributes based on a single trait that we deem positive

Question 18

causal attribution

Answer 18

• substantial ambiguity remains about why people act the way they do
• attribution theory

Question 19

attribution theory

Answer 19

description of the way in which people explain the causes of their own B and other people’s B

Question 20

types of causal attributions

Answer 20

• internal
• external

Question 21

internal attributions

Answer 21

• person’s B is due to something about them
• attitude, character, personality

Question 22

external attributions

Answer 22

• person’s B is due to something about the situation they are in
• assumption is that most people would respond the same way

Question 23

Kelly’s Covariation Model (IMPORTANT)

Answer 23

• we choose internal/external attributions by noting pattern between presence (or absence) of possible causal factors and if B occurs (or not)

Question 24

Kelly’s Covariation Model: types of information

Answer 24

• consensus
• distinctiveness
• consistency

Question 25

consensus

Answer 25

extent to which other people behave the same way as actor does towards the same stimulus

Question 26

distinctiveness

Answer 26

extent to which one particular actor behaves in the same way to different stimuli

Question 27

consistency

Answer 27

extent to which the B between one actor and one stimulus is the same across time and circumstances

Question 28

based on consensus, distinctiveness and consistency, we can make _______

Answer 28

internal attributions about: - the actor external attributions about: - the object/stimulus - the context (also known as temporary attributions)

Question 29

fundamental attribution error

Answer 29

- also referred to as the correspondence bias - tendency to overestimate the extent to which people's B is due to internal factors - to underestimate the role of situational factors - consequences - blaming the victim

Question 30

victim blaming

Answer 30

- tendency to explain other people's B in dispositional terms - can lead people to see stigmatized/victimized individuals as being responsible for their plight

Question 31

2-step process theory on attribution

Answer 31

1. make internal attribution 2. attempt to adjust this attribution by considering the situation the person was in - may be skipped due to lack of effort/time - motivated to do this when we want to be accurate/are suspicious of a person's B - results in mainly internal attributions

Question 32

culture and attributions

Answer 32

collectivist - usually make situational attributions individualistic - usually make dispositional explanations

Question 33

actor/observer difference

Answer 33

for ourselves - situational for others - dispositional *can cause person to overestimate their contribution to a shared task

Question 34

defensive attributions

Answer 34

- way to deal with threats to self-esteem - explanations for B that help us avoid feelings of vulnerability and mortality - belief in just world

Question 35

belief in just world

Answer 35

- assumption that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get - allows us to be optimistic about the future BUT - creates a tendency for victim blaming