Social Psychology Flashcards
(168 cards)
attributional theories
focus on the causal explanations that people generate to explain why a particular event or outcome has occurred
Heider’s Attribution Theory
originator of attributional theory
proposed that people make dispositional or situational attributions
dispositional attributions
Heider’s Attribution Theory
aka internal attribution
locates the cause of a behavior within a person
situational attributions
Heider’s Attribution Theory
aka external attribution
locates the cause of the behavior outside of the person
Kelley’s Attribution Theory
proposed that when people make attributions, they consider three types of information
consistency
distinctiveness
consensus
consistency
Kelley’s Attribution THeory
refers to whether the person behaves the same way over time
e.g. if person is constantly rude and obnoxious at work, high in consistency
distinctiveness
Kelley’s Attribution Theory
refers to whether a person’s behavior is unique to the specific situation or stimulus
e.g. if person is rude and obnoxious only at work, behavior is high in distinctiveness
consensus
Kelley’s Attribution Theory
refers to whether people in the same situation tend to respond similarly
e.g. if most people at work are rude and obnoxious, behavior is high in consensus
internal attributions (Kelley)
people tend to make internal attributions for behaviors that are high in consistency and low in distinctiveness and consensus
external attributions (Kelley)
people tend to make external attributions when the behavior is high in all three areas of consistency, distinctiveness, and consensu
Weiner’s Attribution THeory
added a second dimension to study of attributions (in addition to internal vs. external)
looked at whether attributions are made to STABLE vs. UNSTABLE factors
e.g. unemployed person unable to find work for 6 months
internal + stable (ability)
stable + external (poor economy)
unstable + internal (effort)
unstable + external (bad luck)
depression learned helplessness according to attribution theory
person more likely to experience depression, helplessness, and hopelessness when a person attributes negative events to internal, stable, and global causes
attributional style and physical health and coping
pessimistic style associated with more endorsement of illness, poorer health, less active coping, and more problematic lifestyle patterns for preventing and managing medical problems
Abramson and Alloy - research on depressed people
non-depressed persons have unrealistic positive assessments of their ability to control outcomes, phenomenon termed “illusion of control”
depressed persons “sadder but wiser”
Fundamental Attribution Bias
bias toward attributing the behavior of others (the actor) to internal or dispositional causes, while underestimating the influence of situational variables
Actor-Observer Bias
persons attribute their own actions to situational factors while minimizing the role of dispositional elements and attribute others’ behavior to dispositional factors
Self-Serving (Hedonic) Bias
proposes that when we explain our own behavior, we tend to attribute our own successes to internal or personal factors and our failures to external or situational factors
Heuristics
shortcuts or guidelines that people use to categorize other people, situations, or events
can result in incorrect judgments
availability heuristic
people estimate the likelihood of a situation by how easily they can recall it
representative heuristic
people make judgments about other people or events based on what they believe in is a typical example of a particular category
e.g. people assume rape victim is female and perpetrator is male
simulation heuristic
suggest the people determine the likelihood of an event based on how easy it is to picture the event mentally
George Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory
we perceive the world according to what we expect to see
expectations are based on our past experiences
Repertory Grid Technique - widely used by organizational consultants; maps a client’s conceptual model of the world (i.e. constructs) without contamination by the interviewer’s constructs
three components of attitudes
cognitive
affective
behavioral
do not always correspond - only a weak positive relationship between thoughts and feelings, and subsequent behaviors
Consistency Theories
Attitude formation and change are organized by a need to impose structure and order on one's understanding of the environment Balance Theory Symmetry Theory Congruity Theory Cognitive Dissonance Theory **