Chapter 3: perceving ourselves and others

Question 1

Perception

Answer 1

process of making meaning from what we experience in the world around us

Question 2

3 step process of perception?

Answer 2

1. Selection
2. Organization
3. Interpretation
   - can be in any order

Question 3

How do we explain our perceptions?

Answer 3

Attributions: explanation for an observed behaviour
- Locus
- Stability
- Controllability

Question 4

Locus

Answer 4

where the cause of behavior is located, either within or outside of ourselves
i. Internal loci - caused by a particular characteristic of ourselves
ii. External loci - caused by something outside ourselves

Question 5

Stability

Answer 5

permanent, semipermanent, or not easily changed (ex: morning traffic)
i. Unstable - only occur from time to time

Question 6

Controllability

Answer 6

cause of behavior was under that person’s control
i. Uncontrollable - cause beyond person’s control

Question 7

What is selection?

Answer 7

Paying attention to a certain stimulus
a. Unusual - something that is unusual/unexpected/stand out
b. Repetition - something that is repeated over and over again
c. Intensity - something that’s intense (Ex: colors, sounds)

Question 8

What is organization?

Answer 8

Categorizing information selected for attention
a. Physical construct: emphasizes people’s appearance, causing us to notice height, age, ethnicity, etc
b. Role construct: emphasizes people’s social or professional position (ex: server, professor)
c. Interaction construct: emphasizes people’s behaviour (ex: friendly, rude)
d. Psychological construct: emphasizes people’s thoughts and feelings (ex: angry, insecure)

Question 9

What is interpretation?

Answer 9

Assigning meaning to information that has been selected for attention + organizing
a. Personal experience
b. Knowledge
c. Closeness of Relationship

Question 10

What are errors that we make?

Answer 10

Self-serving bias and Fundamental attribution error

Question 11

What is self-serving bias?

Answer 11

attributing successes to internal causes and failures to unstable external causes
a. We give this to people we love/care about as well (THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELF SERVING BIAS AND FUNDAMENTAL ATTRIBUTION ERROR)

Question 12

What is fundamental attribution error?

Answer 12

a. Assuming others behavior are because that’s how they are (internal), when in reality it could be something else (external)
b. Tendency to jump to internal assumptions
- EX: calling someone a jerk (internal) because they cut you off on the highway
- In reality the person may be rushing to the hospital (external)

Question 13

How do we misperceive?

Answer 13

• Culture
• stereotypes
• primacy and recency effect
• perceptual sets

Question 14

What are stereotypes?

Answer 14

generalization of a specific group

Question 15

How do we sterotypes others?

Answer 15

3 steps:
1. ID- Groups - identify a group (ex: Scottish)
2. Generalization - generalize the group (ex: all Scottish people are drunks)
3. Apply it to individual - apply it to the individual in the group (ex: because professor lidke is Scottish, she is a drunk)

Question 16

What is selective memory bias?

Answer 16

Remembering things that only relate to the stereotype (ex: professor lidke drinks Celsius, red bull, and wine. You only remember that she drinks wine - fits into stereotype that she’s a drunk because she’s Scottish)

Question 17

What is primacy effect?

Answer 17

tendency to emphasize first impressions when forming perception

Question 18

What is recency effect?

Answer 18

tendency to emphasize last impressions when forming perception

Question 19

What are perceptual sets?

Answer 19

What you want/expect to perceive

Question 20

What is self concept/self identity?

Answer 20

the set of stable perceptions a person has about who he or she is

Question 21

What is self esteem?

Answer 21

evaluation of one’s value and worth as a person

Question 22

What is high self-esteem?

Answer 22

happy about yourself

Question 23

What is low self-esteem?

Answer 23

dissatisfied with your self-concept

Question 24

What is image?

Answer 24

the way one wishes to be seen or perceived by others

Question 25

What is image management?

Answer 25

the process of projecting one’s desired public image

Question 26

What is life story?

Answer 26

a way of presenting oneself to others that is based on one’s self-concept but is also influenced by other people

Question 27

What is face?

Answer 27

desired public image
- “avoid embarrassment, preserve dignity”

Question 28

What is facework?

Answer 28

the behaviors people use to establish and maintain their desired public image with others

Question 29

What is face needs?

Answer 29

important components of one’s desired public image

Question 30

What is a face-threatening act?

Answer 30

any behavior that threatens one or more face needs

Question 31

3 types of faces?

Answer 31

1. Fellowship - need to be liked and accepted by others
2. Autonomy - not wanting to be imposed on by others; independent
3. Competence - need to be respected and viewed as competent and intelligent

Question 32

What is self-fulfilling prophecy?

Answer 32

an expectation that gives rise to behaviors that cause the expectation to come true
- Predicting something about someone, and making it happen
○ EX: feeling like your boyfriend is going to break up with you, distancing yourself to prepare for breakup, y’all break up
○ You made it happen by distancing yourself and assuming he will break up with you

Question 33

What is the joheri window?

Answer 33

visual representation of components of the self that are known or unknown to self and others
- Known self = stuff you know about yourself
- Known others = stuff others known about you
- Unknown self = stuff that is unknown to you
- Unknown others = stuff people don’t know about you

Combinations:
Known self + known others = open: known to yourself and others
Known self + unknown others = hidden: only you know about it, not other people
Unknown self + known others = blind: something that people know about you that you don’t recognize in yourself
Unknown self + unknown others = unknown: hidden talents/potential

Question 34

What is a factual claim?

Answer 34

Something that can be proven with evidence
- cannot disagree with FACT

Question 35

What is an opinion claim?

Answer 35

Based on everything someone has read or heard
- allowed to disagree