Social Perception and Attribution vocab practice and quiz

ingroup:

A particular social group for which people feel loyalty and belonging.

attribution theory:

Theory exploring how individuals attribute causes to events and behavior.

fundamental attribution error:

A bias in social perception characterized by the tendency to assume that others generally act on the basis of their internal dispositions.

Describe one difference among individualistic and collectivistic societies that influence attribution tendencies.

A collectivistic society tends to value cooperation and interdependence, whereas an individualistic society tends to value independence and self-esteem. As a result of different values, individuals from a collectivistic society may be more likely to attribute behavior to ways that help them to feel loyal or cooperative. Individualistic societies are more likely to attribute behavior to ways that make them feel competent and self-reliant.

outgroup:

A social group that an individual does not identify with and is often seen as competition.

defensive attribution:

A tendency to blaim victims for their own misfortunate circumstances.

illusory correlation:

An error in perception that occurs when people falsely perceive an association between social traits or two events

Describe the difference between an ingroup and outgroup.

An ingroup is a group to which an individual belongs or relates. An outgroup is a group to which an individual does not belong or relate.

external attribution:

Claiming behavior is a result of external events such as environmental constraints and situational demands.

internal attribution:

Claiming behavior is the result of internal causes such as personal traits, abilities, and feelings

stereotypes:

Common beliefs, including specific personal characteristics, used to define an individual or a group.

Describe illusory correlation.

Illusory correlation occurs when people under or overestimate the number of times a social behavior is demonstrated due to personal stereotypes. For example, if a stereotype has been formed about the typical behavior of lawyers, individuals may underestimate the number of times they meet a lawyer who doesn't depict that stereotypical behavior.

Describe the difference between internal and external attribution.

Internal attribution occurs when an individual attributes the cause of behavior to personal characteristics, abilities, feelings, or moods. External attribution occurs when an individual attributes behavior to environmental circumstances or situations.

social psychology:

The branch of psychology that studies the dynamics of interpersonal relationships between both groups and individuals.

social perception:

The process of forming and modifying personal impressions of others.

actor-observer bias:

The tendency to attribute one's behavior to situational factors but to attribute the behavior of others to dispositional factors.

self-serving bias:

The tendency to view one's successes as being influenced by internal factors and one's failures as being influenced by external factors.

Many researchers claim that the reason individuals often engage in defensive attribution is most likely because attributing misfortune to __________. A. external circumstances increases the realization that the same situation can happen to anyone B. internal factors increases the realization that some individuals are more superior than others C. internal factors will make the victim change their behavior D. external circumstances will help improve the economy

a

You just received an offer for a new job that has the potential to lead you to the job of your dreams. You are excited because you believe your dedication to your work has led you down the right path. When you shared the good news with your brother, he exclaimed, "How do you always get so lucky?!" You attribute the job offer to an internal, stable cause, and your brother attributes the job offer to an __________ cause. A. external, unstable (temporary) B. internal, stable (permanent) C. external, stable (permanent) D. internal, unstable (temporary)

a

List three factors that influence perceptions of other people.

appearance, whether the person appears friendly or rude, clothing choices, etc.

Attributing a friend's failure on an exam to lack of ability is an example of an __________. A. internal, unstable (temporary) attribution B. internal, stable (permanent) attribution C. external, unstable (temporary) attribution D. external, stable (permanent) attribution

b

The study of how our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are influenced by our interaction with others is the domain of a. clinical psychology. c. developmental psychology. b. social psychology. d. personal psychology.

b

Which of the following statements concerning illusory correlations is not correct? A. Research indicates that individuals often selectively recall information that corresponds to personal schemas or stereotypes. B. Research indicates that individuals underestimate the amount of attention they receive from others concerning their appearance and behavior. C. Individuals will often ignore the number of times they have encountered experiences that do not reflect their personal stereotypes. D. Research indicates that individuals often see behavior that they expect to see.

b

You claim that the reason you received a promotion at work is because of your great intellect and the dedication you have for your job. However, you claim that the reason you failed your psychology exam is because of the instructor's poor teaching ability. This difference in attribution is most likely due to __________. A. an attribution error B. the self-serving bias C. the defensive attribution D. social attribution error

b

Your friend just received an A on her psychology test. At lunch she keeps talking about how surprised she was that she received such a good grade because she has had trouble on all previous exams. As a result, she felt that the change in her study strategy and the hours spent studying must have really paid off. Your friend is attributing her good grade to __________. A. an internal, stable (permanent) cause B. an internal, unstable (temporary) cause C. an external, unstable (temporary) cause D. an external, stable (permanent) cause

b

All of the following are examples of internal attributions except, "__________." A. He is so defensive B. Her reading ability is below average C. You are so lucky D. I am too tired

c

Which of the following statements concerning cultural attribution differences is not correct? A. Research indicates that Japanese individuals are more likely to attibute failure to internal factors. B. Valuing cooperation may influence collectivistic cultures to attribute some successes to external ability. C. Collectivistic societies are less likely to attribute individual behavior to external factors. D. Valuing competition may increase the self-serving bias in individualistic cultures.

c

Which of the following statements concerning fundamental attribution error is not correct? A. Observers are often unaware of situational factors that influence the behaviors of others. B. Research indicates that individuals are more likely to attribute their own behavior to internal attributions. C. Some researchers claim that fundamental attribution errors automatically occur but can be corrected with extended effort. D. The same behavior can be attributed to internal or external circumstances depending on varying perspectives.

c

All of the following are examples of external attributions except, "__________." A. You gave me the wrong address B. The test was too hard C. The car wouldn't start D. I'm lousy at math

d

Claiming that the reason one's roommate was fired from his job was due to his laziness and incompetence is an example of __________. A. the social attribution error B. an attribution error C. a self-serving bias D. defensive attribution

d

According to the fundamental attribution error, all instances of attributing behavior to an internal cause are errors.

f

An ingroup is defined as a group to which an individual does not personally relate.

f

Individuals from collectivistic cultures are more likely to make fundamental attribution errors than individuals from individualistic cultures.

f

Internal attributions are potential causes for behavior that occur outside of a person.

f

First impressions can sometimes be misleading.

t

Lack of ability is an example of an internal, perceived cause of behavior.

t

People often judge their personal mistakes as being influenced by surrounding circumstances but attribute the perceived mistakes of another as being influenced by personal dispositions.

t

Research indicates that individuals from collectivistic cultures tend to attribute personal success to external factors, such as help received from others.

t

The personality traits that are valued in cultures can influence people to make different attributions for the similar behaviors.

t

The tendency to attribute one's successes to personal factors but one's failures to situational factors is the self-serving bias.

t