Chapter 3 Flashcards
Algebraic impressions
Impressions of others that continually change as we add and subtract positive or negative information that we learn about them.
Halo effect
A tendency to interpret anything another person says or does in a favorable light because you have a positive Gestalt of that person.
Ex: If you have a positive Gestalt of a person and they telling about something bad they did, you will write it off as that the person must have been justified in what they did.
Horn effect
A tendency to interpret anything another person says or does in a negative light because you have a negative Gestalt of that person.
Personality
An individuals characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and acting. Strongly influences others perceptions of us.
What are the five big personality traits?
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Neuroticism
Openness
The degree to which a person is willing to consider new ideas and take an interest in culture.
High openness: more imaginative, creative, and interested in seeking out new experiences than those low in openness
Conscientiousness
The degree to which a person is organized and persistent in pursuing goals.
People high in conscientiousness are methodical, well-organized, and dutiful.
Low openness: less careful, less focused, and more easily distracted.
Extraversion
The degree to which a person is interested in interacting regularly with others and actively seeks out interpersonal encounters.
High: outgoing and sociable
Low: Quiet and reserved
Agreeableness
The degree to which a person is trusting, friendly, and cooperative.
Low: aggressive, suspicious, and uncooperative.
Neuroticism
The degree to which a person experiences negative thoughts about oneself.
High: Prone to insecurity and emotional distress
Low: relaxed, less emotional, and less prone to distress.
Gestalt
a general sense of a person that is either positive or negative. Made through discerning a few traits, drawing on information in our schemata and arriving at a judgement based on those traits.
ingroupers
People you consider fundamentally similar to yourself because of their interests, affiliations, or backgrounds.
Outgroupers
People you consider fundamentally different from you because of their interests, affiliations, or backgrounds.
Internal attribution
Attributing someones good or bad behavior to some internal characteristic or personality trait.
External behavior
Attributing someones good or bad behavior to some external circumstance that happened to them.
