L4

Question 1

Social Identity Theory

Answer 1

People define themselves in terms of one or more social entities, either as a member of social category or a member of a group.

Question 2

Stereotyping

Answer 2

The process of assigning traits to people on the basis of their membership in a social category.

Question 3

Perceptual biases: Halo effect

Answer 3

A perceptual error in which our general impression of a person, based on a single characteristic, colours our perception of other characteristics of that person.

Question 4

Perceptual biases: projection /false consensus effect

Answer 4

A perceptual error in which we overestimate the extent to which others have beliefs and characteristics that are similar to our own.

Question 5

Perceptual biases: Primacy effect.

Answer 5

A perceptual error in which we quickly form an opinion of people on the basis of the first information we receive about them.

Question 6

Perceptual biases: Recency effect

Answer 6

A perceptual error in which the most recent information dominates our perception of others.

Question 7

Contact Hypothesis

Answer 7

A theory stating that the more we interact with someone, the less prejudiced or perceptually biased we will be against that person.

Question 8

Attribution process

Answer 8

The perceptual process deciding whether an observed behaviour or event is caused by internal or external factors.

Question 9

Internal attribution

Answer 9

Behaviour is attributed to internal factors.

Question 10

External attribution

Answer 10

Behaviour is attributed to external factors.

Question 11

Cues in the attribution process: Consistency

Answer 11

Does the person engage in the same behaviour regularly and consistently?
Yes: Internal
No: External

Question 12

Cues in the attribution process: Distinctiveness

Answer 12

Does the person engage in the behaviour in many situations or is it distinctive to one situation?
Yes: Internal
No: External

Question 13

Cues in attribution process: Consensus

Answer 13

Do most people engage in the behaviour, or is it unique to this person?
Yes: External attribution
No: Internal attribution

Question 14

Fundamental attribution error

Answer 14

The tendency to see the person rather than the situation as the main cause of that person’s behaviour (internal attribution).

Question 15

Attribution bias: self-serving

Answer 15

The tendency to attribute our favourable outcomes to internal factors and our failures to external factors.

Question 16

What is perception?

Answer 16

A process by which individuals organise and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.

• We don’t see reality. We interpret what we see and call it reality.
• Because people’s behaviour is based on their perception of what realist is, not on reality itself.