LearningCurve 13a. Social Thinking
Based on her experience, Nadine tends to view the supporters of a particular political party somewhat negatively. Nadine has a(n):
attitude.
A student's statement that his professor gave him a bad grade because she does not like him is a(n):
attribution.
During a test, Jack impulsively copied several answers from a nearby student's paper. He felt very uncomfortable about having done this until he convinced himself that copying answers is not wrong if classmates are careless enough to expose their test sheets. The theory that explains Jack's behavior is _____ theory.
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.
Summer watches as a student stumbles and drops her books in the hall. If she demonstrates the fundamental attribution error, how would Summer explain the student's behavior?
She is a clumsy person.
Juan was shopping for a new watch and the salesperson was pressuring him to spend money far above his financial limit. Juan attributed the behavior to the salesperson having a pushy personality. Juan's explanation of the salesperson's behavior _____ the fundamental attribution error because it is based on the salesperson's _____.
reflects; personality
You would probably be LEAST likely to commit the fundamental attribution error in explaining why:
you failed a college exam.
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
Barry is watching golf and sees Tiger Woods scowl after a missed putt. He would be making the fundamental attribution error if he assumed that Woods:
has an angry and volatile personality.
Amir is driving to campus one day when another car cuts him off and speeds ahead. Immediately, he yells out "Crazy driver!" not realizing that the person may be rushing to get to the hospital. Amir's judgment BEST illustrates the _____ error.
fundamental attribution
Laxmi is a mother. The responsibilities and expectations associated with this position constitute a social:
role.
Janelle yells at Jason for being 10 minutes late for lunch. Rather than believe that Janelle is a rude jerk, Jason decides that she may be having difficulties with her partner. Jason's explanation of Janelle's behavior _____ the fundamental attribution error because it is based on Janelle's _____.
does not reflect; situation
Rhonda has just learned that her neighbor Patricia was involved in an automobile accident at a nearby intersection. The tendency to make the fundamental attribution error may lead Rhonda to conclude that
Patricia's recklessness has finally gotten her into trouble.
Marci suggests that the aggressiveness of her sister's new friend is the result of the friend's abuse during childhood. Marci's inference about the cause of the girl's behavior is an example of:
an attribution.
James usually does very well on tests, but he was up all night before his psychology midterm cleaning his flooded basement, and he therefore failed his exam. He tried to explain his situation to his teacher, but she thought that James' performance was caused by a tendency to avoid studying and she did not want to hear his excuse. The teacher incorrectly made a(n) _____ attribution about James' test performance.
dispositional
As David approaches the counter at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the clerk yells at David for having waited in the wrong line. David is convinced that the clerk should find another line of work—one in which his angry personality traits will not interfere with his job. However, David disregards the possibility that the department is short of help that day. David has just fallen prey to the _____ error.
fundamental attribution
A student fails to speak or raise his hand in class all semester. The teacher assumes that the student is exceptionally shy. The teacher is illustrating the:
fundamental attribution error.
Evan's father yells at him for being five minutes late for tee time. Rather than believe his father is a rude jerk, he decides that he may be having difficulties at his job. This means he makes a _____ attribution about his behavior.
situational
Curtis usually does very well on tests, but he failed his most recent vocabulary exam. His teacher was very upset by Curtis' performance and decided that Curtis must be sick or have some type of problem that affected his ability to study for the test. In this example, the teacher made a(n) _____ about Curtis' test performance.
situational attribution
Dr. Pena is conducting research about how people form impressions of others and how they interpret one another's behavior in a variety of situations. Dr. Pena is probably a _____ psychologist.
social
Dr. Scholz is reading an article describing research in which investigators examined how the presence of other people influenced participants' performance on a variety of tasks. Dr. Scholz is MOST likely reading the Journal of Research in _____ Psychology.
Social
It is an election year, and a volunteer asks if you would put a small 1-foot sign in your yard. You agree. The next week, your wife cannot believe you agreed to let the volunteer put a new 3-foot sign on the front lawn. This technique is known as:
the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.
A job applicant is five minutes late for an interview. The interviewer assumes that the applicant is unconscious and fails to consider that she may have had difficulty finding a parking spot. The interviewer is demonstrating:
the fundamental attribution error.
Marilyn thinks a strict class attendance policy is an indication of her professor's overly controlling personality, rather than a necessity dictated by the limited number of class sessions in a course that meets only once each week. Her judgment BEST illustrates:
the fundamental attribution error.
Rhys submits a major report to his boss ahead of the deadline. His boss assumes that Rhys is conscientious, rather than that he simply had more time than usual to devote to the assignment. This example illustrates:
the fundamental attribution error.
