9.2 How We Think About Our Own and Others’ Behavior Flashcards
attribution
The process by which we explain our own behavior and that of others.
fundamental attribution error
The tendency as an observer to overestimate dispositional influences and underestimate situational influences on others’ behavior.
just-world hypothesis
The assumption that the world is just and that people get what they deserve.
primacy effect
Information gathered early is weighted more heavily than information gathered later in forming an impression of another person.
self-fulfilling prophecy
Our behavior leads a person to act in accordance with our expectations for that person.
actor-observer bias
The tendency to overestimate situational influences on our own behavior, but to overestimate dispositional influences on the behavior of others.
false consensus effect
The tendency to overestimate the commonality of one’s opinions and unsuccessful behaviors.
false uniqueness effect
The tendency to underestimate the commonality of one’s abilities and successful behaviors
attitudes
Evaluative reactions (positive or negative) toward objects, events, and other people.
cognitive dissonance theory
A theory developed by Leon Festinger that assumes people have a tendency to change their attitudes to reduce the cognitive discomfort created by inconsistencies between their attitudes and their behavior.
self-perception theory
A theory developed by Daryl Bem that assumes that when we are unsure of our attitudes, we infer them by examining our behavior and the context in which it occurs.
demand characteristics
Cues in the experimental environment that make participants aware of what the experimenters expect to find (their hypothesis) and how participants are expected to act.
