Chapter 6 - Social cognition

Question 1

Person perception

Answer 1

the different mental processes used to understand and form impressions of other people

Question 2

Attribution

Answer 2

an evaluation made about the causes of behaviour and the process of making this evaluation

Question 3

Attribution

Answer 3

an evaluation made about the causes of behaviour and the process of making this evaluation

Question 4

Internal attribution (personal attribution)

Answer 4

when we judge behaviour as being caused by something personal within an individual

Question 5

External attribution (situational attribution)

Answer 5

when we determine the cause of a behaviour as resulting from situational factors occurring outside the individual

Question 6

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 6

out tendency to explain other people’s behaviour in terms of internal factors, while ignoring possible external factors

Question 7

Attributional style

Answer 7

tendencies and repeated patterns in the way someone makes attributions

Question 8

Attitude

Answer 8

an evaluation of something, such as a person, object, event, or idea

Question 9

Tri-component model of attitudes (known as ‘A-B-C’ or ‘tripartite’ model)

Answer 9

a model which illustrates the relationship between the affective, behavioural, and cognitive components of our attitudes

Question 10

Affective component

Answer 10

our emotions and intuitive feelings towards something, reflected in our attitude

Question 11

Behavioural component

Answer 11

our outward and observable actions that reflect our point of view about something

Question 12

Cognitive component

Answer 12

our thoughts and beliefs towards something

Question 13

Stereotype

Answer 13

a widely held belief and generalisation about a group, such as people, animals or objects

Question 14

Cognitive dissonance

Answer 14

the psychological tension that occurs when our thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviours do not align with one another

Question 15

Cognitive biases

Answer 15

unconscious, systematic tendencies to interpret information in a way that is neither rational nor based on objective reality

Question 16

Confirmation bias

Answer 16

the tendency to search for and accept information that supports our prior beliefs or behaviours and ignore contradictory information

Question 17

Actor-observer bias

Answer 17

the tendency to attribute our own actions to external factors and situational causes while attributing other people’s actions to internal factors

Question 18

Self-serving bias

Answer 18

the tendency to attribute positive success to our internal character and actions and attribute our failures to external factors or situational causes

Question 19

Self-serving bias

Answer 19

the tendency to attribute positive success to our internal character and actions and attribute our failures to external factors or situational causes

Question 20

False-consensus bias

Answer 20

the tendency to overestimate the degree to which other people share the same ideas and attitudes as we do

Question 21

Halo effect

Answer 21

the tendency for the impression we form about one quality of a person to influence our overall beliefs about the person in other respects

Question 22

Heuristics

Answer 22

information-processing strategies or ‘mental shortcuts’ that enable individuals to form judgements, make decisions, and solve problems quickly and efficiently

Question 23

Base-rate fallacy

Answer 23

a type of bias in which decisions, social perceptions, and judgements are influenced more by vivid memories and experiences than statistical fact

Question 24

Anchoring (adjustment) heuristic

Answer 24

an information-processing strategy that involves forming judgements based on the first information received about an idea or concept

Question 25

Availability heuristic

Answer 25

an information-processing strategy that enables individuals to form a judgement, solve a problem, or make a decision based on information that is easily accessible

Question 26

Representative heuristic

Answer 26

an information-processing strategy that involves making a categorical judgement about an idea, event, or person based on their similarity to other items in that category

Question 27

Affect heuristic

Answer 27

an information-processing strategy that involves using emotions to make a judgement or decision

Question 28

Prejudice

Answer 28

an often negative preconception held against people within a certain group or social category

Question 29

Discrimination

Answer 29

the unjust treatment of people due to their membership within a certain social category

Question 30

Stigma

Answer 30

the feeling of shame or disgrace experienced by an individual for a characteristic that differentiates them from others

Question 31

Mental wellbeing

Answer 31

an individual’s current psychological state, involving their ability to think, process information, and regulate emotions