Learning Curve 13A

As you are driving to campus one day another car cuts you off and speeds ahead. Immediately you yell out "Crazy driver!" not realizing that the person may be rushing to get to the hospital. Your judgment best illustrates the _____.

fundamental attribution

Christine thinks her job's strict lateness policy is an indication of her boss's overly controlling personality rather than a necessity dictated by the company's high sales goal (her boss has to report how many shoes were sold each day to the corporate headquarters). Her judgment best illustrates the _____ error.

fundamental attribution

You stop for a cup of coffee and the waitress yells at you when you sit at a table that has not been cleared. You are convinced that she should find another line of work- one in which her angry personality traits will not interfere with her job. However, you disregard the possibility that the restaurant is short of help that day. You have just fallen prey to the _____.

fundamental attribution error

Your new roommate leaves dirty laundry all over her room, and you assume she must be a slob. You ignore the fact that she is currently taking finals and working 40 hours per week. You are demonstrating:

fundamental attribution error

You are watching golf and see Tiger Woods scowl after a missed putt. You would be making the fundamental attribution error if you assumed that:

he has an angry and volatile personality.

This afternoon, Mary's boss wants to meet with her. She is sure it is about the customers who complained about her yesterday. The best-case scenario would be for Mary's boss to decide that her behavior was the result of Mary reacting to her department being under-staffed. This would be a _____ attribution.

situational

Your father yells at you for being five minutes late for tee time. Rather than believe your father is a rude jerk, you decide that he may be having difficulties at his job. Therefore, you make a _____ attribution about his behavior.

situational

Your father yells at you for being five minutes late for tee time. Rather than believe your father is a rude jerk, you decide that he may be having difficulties at his job. This means make a _____ attribution about his behavior.

situational

Your friend yells at you for being five minutes late for lunch. Rather than believe your friend is a rude jerk, you decide that she may be having difficulties with her partner. Therefore, you make a _____ about her behavior.

situational attribution

Dr. Oliveira is conducting research on how people form impressions of other people and how they interpret each other's behavior in a variety of situations. Dr. Oliveira is probably a(n)_____ psychologist.

social

The branch of psychology that studies how people think, feel, and behave in social situations is called:

social psychology

Cognitive dissonance theory states that in order to reduce dissonance, individuals:

try to align their attitudes and behavior.

We are more likely to make the fundamental attribution error if:

we are not familiar with the person we are observing.

Cynthia thinks that her new neighbor is mean and snobbish. This _____ will likely influence Cynthia to act negatively toward her neighbor.

attitube

Carl thinks that his new neighbor is mean and snobbish. This _____ will likely influence Carl to act negatively toward his neighbor.

attitude

Social psychologists have found that people are most likely to behave in accordance with their attitudes when:

attitudes are formed through experience, and they have a vested interest in the subject.

Lana suggests that the aggressiveness of her sister's new friend is the result of that friend's abuse during childhood. Lana's inference about the cause of the behavior of her sister's friend is an example of a(n) _____.

attribution

The mental process of inferring the causes of people's behavior, including one's own, is called:

attribution

Kevin was shopping for a new watch and the salesperson was pressuring him to spend money way above his financial limit. Kevin attributed the behavior to the salesperson's pushy personality. Kevin was attributing her behavior to _____ factors.

dispositional

Attitudes are _____ that are based on beliefs; they predispose people to react in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

feelings

Which statement is TRUE about the effect of attitudes on behavior?

Attitudes do influence behavior in many instances.

The _____ theory states that people explain behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.

Attribution

Dina thinks her job's strict lateness policy is an indication of her boss's overly controlling personality rather than a necessity dictated by the company's high sales goal (her boss has to report how many shoes were sold each day to the corporate headquarters). Her judgment best illustrates the:

Fundamental Attribution Error

While eating at the university cafe you see a waiter's serving tray tilt and the food and beverages spill all over four people. "What a careless, clumsy idiot," you mumble to yourself as you resume eating. You have just committed an attributional bias called the _____.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Which statement is TRUE concerning the potential association between political affiliation and the fundamental attribution error?

Political conservatives are more likely to make the fundamental attribution error than are political liberals.

_____ indicates that, although we often cannot directly control all of our feelings, we can influence our feelings by changing our behavior.

The attitudes-follow-behavior principle

Before Carly left for college, she told her friend Maggie that she thought sororities were filled with snobs and that she would never consider joining one. However, during Carly's first week on campus, she was approached by a sorority member who invited her to a social function and encouraged her to pledge. After Carly attended the party, she told Maggie, "Sororities do a lot of good things for the community. They're really service organizations." Carly's change in attitude to match her behavior is an example of _____.

cognitive dissonance

Hugh bought a new calculator for $125. One week later, he saw an ad from another store showing the same calculator on sale for $65. Hugh said, "I'm still glad I got my calculator; the cheaper ones are probably defective. I don't mind having paid more for mine." Hugh's statement reflects:

cognitive dissonance reduction.

Political _____ are MOST likely to make ____ attributions.

conservatives; dispositional

You decide to make a positive change in your life. Instead of going to work with a frown on your face, you will force yourself to smile when you walk out the door. According to _____, by altering your behavior you stand a good chance of changing your attitude.

the attitudes-follow-behavior principle

It is an election year, and a volunteer asks if you would put a small, one-foot sign in your yard. You agree. The next week, your wife cannot believe you agreed to let the volunteer put a new, three-foot sign on the front lawn. This is known as:

the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.

Researchers asked homeowners for permission to install a large, poorly-lettered sign in their front yards. Only 17 percent of the homeowners consented to the installations. Researchers then approached different homeowners and asked if they could post a small sign. Nearly all agreed. Then, when asked two weeks later if they could post the large, ugly sign, 76 percent consented. The results of this experiment support:

the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.