Social perception: attribution processes, impression formation;1

Question 1

What is attribution in social psychology?

Answer 1

Attribution is the process of explaining the causes of behavior—either our own or others’. We try to determine whether actions are:
1. due to internal dispositions (personality, intentions) or
2. external circumstances (situational factors).

Question 2

What are the two main types of attribution?

Answer 2

Internal (dispositional) attribution: Explains behavior as caused by:
1. traits,
2.motives, or
3. intentions (e.g., “She’s late because she’s irresponsible”).

External (situational) attribution: Explains behavior as due to the environment or context (e.g., “She’s late because the bus was delayed”).

Question 3

What is the Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)?

Answer 3

It’s the tendency to **overemphasize internal causes and underestimate situational causes **when explaining others’ behavior. For example, thinking someone is rude for cutting in line, rather than considering they might be in an emergency.

Question 4

What is the Actor-Observer Bias?

Answer 4

It’s the tendency to** explain our own actions with external attributions** (e.g., “I was rude because I was tired”) but** others’ actions with internal attributions** (e.g., “He was rude because he’s a jerk”).

Question 5

What is Impression Formation?

Answer 5

1.It refers to the process by which we form judgments and opinions about others.
2.We quickly form impressions based on available cues (e.g., physical appearance, voice tone), and 3.these impressions guide how we interact with someone.